Through a Canine's Eyes
by NyanWolfy
Summary: In confusion I turned my head to the side to look at my body and I froze as I was met with orangey looking fur and four legs with paws on the end. Now, I was never the smartest kid in my classes, but I wasn't stupid either. I was in the body of some sort of canine. No, that wasn't right, I was a canine. OC story.
1. Where am I?

The rain pounded down hard on my shoulders as I walked casually along, a wide smile on my freckled covered face. My clothes were completely soaked, my once curly brown hair was dripping water everywhere, and I didn't care. Not one bit. Even my shoes were off, socks in them and they were slung over my shoulders. I was walking along in the gutter of the street, the fast moving water sloshing around my aching feet. After a busy morning of running around, it was the best feeling in the world.

The grey clouds that loomed overhead darkened the area around me, causing it to look like it was late in the afternoon rather than the middle of the day. I had just finished my busy shift at video store. It wasn't the best job, but hey, it paid.

I was on my way home when it started bucketing down with rain as a storm started to brew in the skies over the small town I lived in. There was nothing that I could do about it because if I didn't get home in time my mother would freak out, so I kept walking and enjoyed it instead. A little water could never hurt you – rather, it seemed to soothe me.

I licked my lips to get some of the water off them as a flash of lightning danced in the sky. I angled my head up so I could look out for more, after all I thought lightning was beautiful to watch. A round of thunder rumbled in the clouds and it was followed shortly after by some more lightning. I could feel excitement coursing through my veins - storms always seemed to get me hyped up.

Suddenly my foot slipped out from under me, sliding forward with alarming speed as it knocked me off balance. While I was busying sky gazing, I had stepped on something slippery under the surface of the water that was rushing through the gutters and my foot had just shot out under me.

My other foot quickly lost its grip too due to the slippery surface under the water and I was now falling backwards. I gasped as everything seemed to go in slow motion around me, like what happens to most people any time they trip. The last thing I saw was a flash of lightning dance through the grey clouds before I hit the ground and everything went black. Just as the darkness swallowed me, I thought I heard a voice laugh.

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><p>I was swimming in an eternal pit of darkness for some reason, with no idea why. My mind was conscious, yet at the same time it was not. I was confused. Where was up? Where was down? And where the hell am I anyway? What was the last thing that happened? For some reason I couldn't figure anything out, my mind kept drawing up blanks. I was dazed and confused; nothing seemed to make sense no matter what I tried.<p>

Suddenly, there was a strange sensation that my brain seemed to register; it took me a few moments to process it though. What was it? It was a smell, I think, and not a pleasant one either. The smell made me want to curl up my nose, but I couldn't feel any connection to my body to do that. Wait… It took me a few more seconds to realize that if I could smell something, then I must still be connected to my body.

I slowly concentrated all my attention on the smell, as unpleasant was, it was it was the only stable thing I had to grasp in my current state of mind. Everything else slowly faded out as it slipped away with the darkness, the black and the confusion going away gradually. All that mattered to me at the current moment was the smell. The smell seemed to get stronger as I suddenly felt heavy, slight pounding sensation growing in my head as I came back to myself. I had begun to regain consciousness, I realized, willing myself to open my eyes.

My eyes felt like they were being weighed down, but slowly they began to open themselves, allowing a crack of light to penetrate my vision. My eyes snapped shut straight away at the sight of the bright light, but with a bit more persuasion I opened my eyes again; going slowly to give them time to adjust.

When my sight finally came to me, I suddenly wished I just kept them closed. I noted that there was something in my line of sight, like when you concentrate you can see your nose. But my nose was huge! Maybe I had something on my nose? That must be it! I concentrated on the object in my line of sight even harder, and it slowly came into a blurry focus. My brain paused for a second to process the information, as if not willing to believe it. The thing on my nose was a… muzzle? No, it wasn't _on_ my nose, it was my nose!

As that piece of information seemed to finally set in I felt my body stiffen with surprise before I tried to bolt up in panic. As I went to jump up my whole body felt wrong, that was the only way to describe it. All that I achieved though was to land myself in a pile of limbs back on the ground.

I forced myself to swallow the panic that I was experiencing and then tried to calmly scramble to my feet. I managed to get myself in upright position, but I felt like I was kneeling on hands and knees. At the same time I felt like my head and neck were stretched out straight and that they were in the right position.

In confusion I turned my head to the side to look at my body and froze as I was met with the sight orangey looking fur and four legs with paws on the end.

Now, I was never the smartest kid in my class, but I wasn't stupid either. I did have quick enough wits and common sense most of the time and it didn't take a lot for me to put two and two together, even with my confusion and shock still lingering in place. I was in the body of some sort of canine. No, that wasn't right, I _was_ a canine.

I felt my back legs give out on me as my bum hit the ground with a resounding _thump_. I shoved the information I had just gathered to the back of my mind before I could panic more, and instead glanced around to see where I was. I saw dark dingy walls on both sides of me, and some trash cans along the side of the walls. There was a grey door in the wall too, a bright light at the end of the walls. I guessed that it was the exit and, if I wasn't wrong, I was in some sort of alley. So the nasty smell before were the trash cans and God knows what else that was down the alley. I don't even want to think about it.

There was no one else around so I stayed where I was for a moment to think over my situation. So, I was a canine. Fox, dog, or wolf I was not sure. And I was in an alley that was who knows where.

'_Well,_' I thought sourly, '_it could be worse_.'

Suddenly a commotion at the end of the alley drew my attention, and I gently lifted myself up to all four paws and started padding cautiously to the mouth of the alley. It took me a few stumbled steps to get my legs moving smoothly, but I adjusted quickly. Having four paws to stabilize yourself with was really handy.

What I witnessed when I peeked out of the alley was a shock to me; there was a little girl who seemed really scared, and just about to cry. I cast my gaze around even further and saw a dorky looking guy with some weird-ass clothes on, but I couldn't miss the cocky smirk on his face. I followed his line of sight to see where he was looking and saw a large canine that was running around and scaring the people that were also in the street. I looked closer and saw that it was a wolf for sure, and seemed to be enjoying itself while tormenting these people.

Suddenly, the wolf bolted forward, heading straight for the little girl and, before I could think it through, I felt my body rushing forward towards the wolf. I might be a fool sometimes, and make stupid decisions, but normally I don't do things that could get myself killed. But, I couldn't sit back and watch a little girl get mauled either, so to hell with self-preservation.

I bounded out of the alley like a bullet, a bit shocked at my own speed, but I suppose it's no surprise that I could run faster on four legs rather than two. I threw myself at the wolf before it could get to the little girl, and on instinct, I clamped my jaws down on the first piece of flesh I could get. I've always been told that larger canines have really strong jaws that could just about crush bones, and I had been bitten by a dog before when I was little, but that was only a warning nip. When I clamped down it suddenly occurred to me that people weren't kidding, I felt my jaws meet together with a loud snap that shook my body. The fur and skin that was unfortunate enough to get caught between my fangs gave way to my sharp teeth and I felt some blood pool into my mouth, followed by a high pitch yelp from the wolf. It was at that point I realized how much larger the wolf was then me, not that I was small, but the wolf was built like a brick shit house and I seemed to comprehend that I'd just got myself in some trouble.

We crumpled to the ground in a pile of fur and limbs but I kept my grip on the wolf, and I heard several loud gasps from the people around us and a few loud exclamations. As we rolled around on the ground, I was not game enough to let go until I heard its snapping jaws close together not far from my ear. Thankfully it didn't manage to get hold of anything or else I'd be in some major pain. I dare say that snap was a reaction to the pain, and that its jaws weren't really aimed anywhere that time, but I wouldn't be so lucky the second time. Not against a wolf with natural killing instincts as thick as mud.

I quickly let go of the grip I had and scrambled back on my paws, dancing back further away from the wolf so it couldn't reach me easily, placing myself in the direct line of the little girl. Although we were about 10 meters away from her I didn't want the wolf getting any closer. I looked back at the wolf as it climbed to its feet, noticing that its shoulder was bloody I realized that, that was where I wounded it. I felt a wolfish grin slip onto my muzzle at the sight of my opponent but my attention quickly snapped to the cocky looking guy from before as he cried out, "How dare you, you flea bitten mutt! You can't attack my pet!"

I figured that he was responsible for the wolf and if I was human I would have laughed out loud, he said I _can't_ attack his _pet_, but I think I just did.

I was thrown out of my musing as I felt the wolf collide with my body, this time he was the one attacking me. I've always heard that you should never take your eyes off your attacker in a fight and it seems like I'd already forgotten that rule and I was now paying for it. I felt sharp teeth tear into the fur at the back of my neck, but unlike me, the wolf didn't stop at one bite. His nasty teeth lashed out in several places as we fell to the ground and tumbled around. I let out several high pitched yelps as he bit into more places; my back, my shoulder and my ribs, each time drawing a little bit more of my blood.

While he was distracted with attacking me non-stop, I lashed out and bit down hard on his front leg, jerking it back with my head. The movement knocked his current momentum off balance and caused him to falter from his attack, which gave me enough time to throw myself on top of him, and bite down on his muzzle trapping his jaws between mine so he couldn't bite me anymore. The wolf started to struggle under my grip but I released a loud growl and clamped harder so the wolf's blood was running down its muzzle.

It let out a pathetic whine and laid still, its chest heaving as it tried to breathe in and out. I wasn't sure what to do now that I had pinned it, but a sudden pain in my head cause my vision to go black. I felt my grip on the wolf drop as I fell to the ground, my head spinning. I laid there, dazed for a few seconds until my vision cleared and I saw a stone lying not far from my head and I heard a nasally voice say, "I told you to stay away from my pet you damn dog!"

I let out a growl in annoyance and started to clamber back up to my paws before the wolf had a chance to attack me. Once I was back up I cast my glaze around for the wolf and froze in panic when I located it. It was heading straight for the little girl, and it was too far away for me to stop it this time, the few seconds I was down was all it needed to get up and away. I started running after it, ignoring the aches throughout my body as best I could, although I knew there was nothing I could do now.

The wolf lunged at the little girl as she screamed in panic. My heart skipped a few beats, fearing the worst but suddenly a green haired stranger stepped in front of the little girl, and before I could blink he'd pulled a sword out and left the wolf bloody at his feet. I figured the wolf was dead when it didn't get up again.

I stopped running when I recognized the man in front of me. It was none other than Zoro, from the manga and anime of "One Piece". Of all my luck I get dragged into One Piece. I wasn't sure at that stage if I wanted to cry or laugh. I was knocked yet again of my musing yet again by that bastard who owned he wolf. I was getting annoyed with him interrupting my thoughts.

"You bastard!" he screamed at Zoro. "You killed my pet! Do you have any idea who I am! I am the Helmeppo, my father is Captain Morgan! I shall have you executed for your crimes! Nobody kills my pet and gets away with it!"

Zoro's eyes narrowed as he said that, and he drew his sword, saying, "You're both annoying, you and your pet."

Helmeppo scowled and drew his sword, charging at Zoro with a battle cry. He swung his sword down, only to have Zoro dodge it and kick him in the face causing Helmeppo to land on his ass in the dirt. Helmeppo looked nervous now, as if suddenly realizing how much shit he was in and how much stronger Zoro was than him.

"Y… you don't understand. If we don't arrest you we'll have all these citizens arrested, even the little girl. I'll make you a deal, if you let us arrest you we'll leave them alone," daddy's boy stuttered out.

A dark look flashed across Zoro's face as Helmeppo scrambled to his feet, and only after a brief moment of hesitation, Zoro slid his sword back in his sheath. Suddenly feeling bad for Zoro and angry at the slimy daddy's boy, I let out a growl and took a step toward Helmeppo. I knew that Zoro needed to get arrested for the story line, but that somehow didn't make any difference. Alerted to my presence by my growl, the daddy's boy swung as his eyes landed on me.

"You filthy mutt! You attacked my wolf too! But now that my pets gone I'll need a replacement… You, marines, capture this dog for me!"

I swung around in the direction Helmeppo had issued his order towards and saw two marines standing there. I hadn't noticed them before, but it didn't surprise me. The prissy boy wouldn't have enough guts to go anywhere on his own anyway.

"Yes, sir," one of the marines answered hesitantly as they both took a step forward.

I took a step back at the same time, flinching as the pain of my early wounds seem to come back to bite me, no pun intended. I guess my adrenaline had worn off quicker than I thought it would. I was no shape to get in another fight, especially with marines that have guns. Plus, if I remember correctly, these guys don't really like this Morgan guy and his son; they don't really want to hurt anyone. But, that didn't stop them from doing anything if they were ordered to. They were pathetic and too scared to disobey.

They took another step forward and my fight or flight response kicked in, I'd already used up the fight option so I guess it was time for flight. I felt bad for leaving Zoro and the little kid behind but I knew both of them would be fine, _fine enough _anyway.

I spun around and put that canine speed to good use again, weaving in and out of the people in the street as I bolted. I heard the marines and Helmeppo cry out behind me, but I didn't falter. I ran to the end of the street, took a left, ran to the end of that street as well and kept running as I flew past more streets and people. I ducked down a few alleys and back streets, until I finally figured I was safe enough hidden behind a large pile of boxes in another random alley.

'_Great,_' I figured. '_I went from one alley to another, and this one doesn't smell any better._'

At least I was safe for now though, I hope. I curled up in a ball in amongst the boxes and stayed there for a while. Eventually I drifted off to sleep. Even though I had not been awake more than I few hours, I was exhausted. After all, I had woken up in a bloody anime/manga as some sort of canine, I'm guessing I was a dog after what daddy's boy had said, I had then fought a wolf, ran from a few marines with guns, and hid here. If my day was going to be any more eventful I wouldn't have moved from here for all the money in the world.

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><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	2. Night Time Visit

Slowly my eyes cracked open and I noted the stiff aching in my muscles and my pounding head. I realized just how foolish I was to not take care of my injuries before I fell asleep. Even if I was a canine now, I still could have done something to clean out my wounds. I recalled reading somewhere that a dog's saliva acts as an antiseptic, and it can kills the germs in wounds. That's why dogs lick their wounds. Well, that and their tongues are rough enough to dislodge anything in the wound like dirt or stones. It's how wild dogs and wolves tried to stop their wounds from becoming infected.

With a whimper I dragged myself woefully out of my den in the boxes, limping a bit due to the stiffness in my muscles. '_What a pain in the ass,_' I thought, my ears dropping back against my skull to show my displeasure.

Once out of my little hidey-hole, I stretched my muscles, arching my back and stretching my legs to try and get the stiffness and cramps out. I then sat down, mentally sighing about how weird this would be. Hesitantly I began to lick the bite marks I could reach to try clean them out. I noted that my once light orange coloured coat had stains of blood through it, causing my nose to crinkle.

'_Next thing on the list,'_ I thought, '_I need to have a bath. This place is near the sea right? So I should go for a swim in the salt water. Salt water is meant to be good for wounds,_' I smiled in self-satisfaction about my plan, but my grin quickly faltered as another thought came to me. '_But how did I get here? What happens if somehow I now have the powers of a devil fruit? It's perfectly plausible, which would mean going near the salt water would not be a smart plan at all_.'

Before now I had not been thinking too much on how I had gotten there. I had been concentrated on the there and now. With some time to finally stew on it whilst I was licking my wounds, I thought of several ways I could have got here. But, none of them made sense. It's like a bad dream, or one huge joke. But somehow, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was as real as I was and that I wasn't just going to wake up at home. The sense of loss then hit me like a ton of bricks.

'_My family! I won't see them anytime soon. Oh Gods, how is mom going to cope?_' Guilt was the next feeling to hit me, causing me to stop my cleaning and to lower my head dejectedly.

After several minutes of moping, I realized that it was the last thing I needed to be doing right now. I was never a person to get sad for long, or to have lots of self-pity. When something bad happened I focused on the positive, never dwelling on the negatives for long if at all. So why change my ways now? I need to suck it up, and see what was good in this situation. Like the fact that I am in an anime, I'd be lying if I said I'd never wished something like this would happen. Of course I could have thought of better places to go, but many people would kill to be in my situation, so I figured I needed to stop being a baby.

I must be here for a reason, right? Well I hoped so anyway, and since one of my first encounters here was with one of the main characters, I guess my reason here is to fit in with the main time line. And, if I'm not wrong, Zoro will be tied up for a while before Luffy came along to save him. Although, it wasn't exactly a willing escape to start with… What the hell am I meant to do in the meantime? Well, let's start with that bath. I had to figure out sooner or later if it's a devil fruit's powers that got me here. Might as well do it on my own terms rather than get thrown into the deep end in a critical time.

I followed my nose to the sea - a dog's sense of smell is amazing, so much stronger than a humans, so it was easy to find. I kept to back alleys and streets, shying away from people. For all I knew, Helmeppo could have put some sort of reward out for me, or may have people watching for me, so I better lay low for now.

When I finally made it to the sea I noticed that there were no beaches, the town was on a platform that kept the sea out, or it sort of looked like that. Over the side of the platform was the sea, just a straight drop. But, when I thought about it, it made sense, after all the boats need deep water to be able to dock anywhere.

I looked around and noticed there were not many people about, so I carefully snuck out of the alley I was lurking in at that time, and walked up to the edge of the platform, looking over it to see my reflection in the sea for the first time. It took me a few seconds to realize that the image looking back at me in the water was me. I saw an orangey coloured dog with a white chest and face mask. My fur was thick, and my ears were shaped much like triangles with the way they stuck out of my head. My eyes were a steely blue, exactly the same colour as when I was a human. My shoulders were stocky and wide, which I was sure would come in handy later on. It didn't take me long to identify that I was a dog after all - the daddy's boy got something right after all. I knew what breed I was, my friend had a dog like me, but it was the American version of the breed, where as I was the Japanese version, an Akita Inu.

If I remember right Akita's are built for fighting and bringing down bears. They're a guarding dog and are usually used for guarding or hunting. Their main features are their curved tail that sits on their back when curled up, their big build and bear like head. Their personality traits were generally stubborn, courageous, protective, aloof, and very loving towards those close to them, which had me smirking at how closely it reflect my personality.

'_At least I know my breed is built for fighting, thank you Gods for that at least_,' I thought with a soft wag of my tail, the tip of my tail brushing against my back.

I slowly drew my attention back to my current predicament, as to whether I could swim or not - or whether it was a good idea to test out that theory or not. I was not a brash person by nature, but I hated not knowing stuff. If I didn't find this out right now, it would drive me mad until I did experiment.

My head shot up proudly as a grand plan came to me, and I couldn't help the impish smirk that grew on my muzzle. I spun around, my back facing the ocean as I sat down. I then slowly lowered my tail into the water, or at least attempted to anyway. Having a curly tail means that it wasn't happy about straightening out for me, but eventually I coaxed it to uncurl and I stuck the tip of my tail in the water. I waited. Nothing happened. I didn't feel weak, nor did I feel drained. Isn't that what you're supposed to feel if you have a devil fruit power? Maybe, hopefully, that meant I didn't and that I could still go in water.

I waited a bit longer just in case something happened, whilst also still internally debating whether or not to jump in. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that decision was taken from me when I felt something clamp down on the end of my tail. With a yelp of surprise more than pain, I jumped, remembering too late how closely I was positioned to the edge of the platform. I felt my back feet slip off of the platform, my eyes widening in shock as the rest of my body followed.

My body hit the water with a loud splash, the water parting around me to swallow up my body. As soon as I had regained my senses I swam for the top of the surface, which I found that it's much easier when you are a dog. My head broke the surface and I drew in several spluttered breaths, my legs paddling in the water to keep me afloat. At least the fish, or whatever it had been, had let go of my tail now.

After I re-gathered my wits, I figured that if I could still swim and hadn't sunk, then I didn't have the power of a devil fruit, and that I was safe in the water. I was glad for that, I had always loved swimming, and at least I knew I could still swim, even if I was a dog now. After that happy revelation I got to the task that needed me in the water in the first place - cleaning out my coat and wounds. The easiest way to achieve that was to swim a while, so swim I did.

I felt like a kid in a candy store. I dove under the water, and messed around in it, floundering like fish on dry land as I tried to get used of having a dog's body whilst swimming. I stayed in the water for a while, and I saw a few people passing by. I saw them smile at my antics, there was even one kid who pointed and laughed, which caused me to smile widely, well as much as a dog can smile. I figured even if they knew who I was, they weren't going to give me up to that daddy's boy without good reason, of which I was thankful for.

After a while I dragged myself out of the water, heaving my body back up onto the platform, which left me standing there dripping wet, my fur clinging tightly to my body. I lazily shook as much of the water out as I could and then trotted, in a gleeful manner, back to the dark alley that I had exited from.

I followed the alleys and back street around for a while, trying to think of my next plan of action. When my stomach growled I noticed how hungry I was, and even though there was no one around to hear my stomach, I dipped my head down in embarrassment at the sound it made. Although I was in a dogs body, that didn't mean I was about to scrounge around in trash cans for food or eat whatever food was left on the ground, at least I was not that desperate yet. I then felt a twinge of guilt at the thought that Zoro most likely hadn't eaten either. Poor bugger.

I heaved a sigh and kept padding along. I wasn't the type of person to steal, even if I was a dog, so I wasn't going to steal any food from anyone. But, neither was a going to beg for food, my ego wouldn't allow it and I sure didn't have any money to pay for it. How was I was going to get food? I sighed yet again realizing that I wasn't going to get food then.

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><p>Later that day, after lazily spending the day walking around and lurking in the shadows watching the people in this town interact, I figured I should pay a visit to Zoro. It was night-time by then, and rather dark, so the chances of me getting caught were slim and I had nothing better to do, so why not?<p>

Once I reach the wall surrounding his yard I stared up, suddenly realizing how tall it was.

'_Of fucking course,_' was the only though in my mind when I saw it up close. Nothing, I repeat nothing, could ever just be simple could it?

I knew dogs could jump high, but could I jump that far? Well, I wouldn't know till I tried I guess. I backed up a few paces, and took a good, long look at the wall, sizing up my opponent. After my stare down with the wall, I subtly backed up a few more paces before nodding my head softly, figuring that I was far enough back. I took a deep breath of air into my lungs and took off straight for the wall. I jumped up into the air, and when I saw I wouldn't make it all the way to the top, I brought my front legs forward, and as they came in contact with the wall, I boosted myself up further, my back legs following with the same motion.

I managed to get over the wall that way, lifting my head up proudly as my paws touched down on the ground, my tail wagging like mad as I danced around little on my paws much like an excited kid bouncing up and down. I couldn't believe I'd made that; I was allowed be proud for a few moments. I then spun around and my eyes met with Zoro's own, causing me freeze in shock. He probably saw that _fit_ of mine. '_Great,_' I groaned, mentally deadpanning.

It might be dark, but the moon was out and it was light enough to make out some things, like shapes. He saw all of my little dance. I saw his eyes narrow in my direction, as if sizing me up. I stayed still like a mouse in a trap for a few seconds. I was not good in one on one confrontations, but I then remembered that he was tied up and couldn't do anything. That last thought gave me some confidence and began to trot slowly towards him. I ducked my head tilting my head to the side, dropping my eye contact from his as I came forward. It came natural as a dog on how I should act '_submissive_' if you'd like to call it that, I prefer the term '_looking innocent and non-threatening so the scary guy won't kill me_'. But hey, whatever floats your boat.

I stopped a few paces in front of the man whom was tied to the post, lifting my head to meet his gaze. I meekly wagged my tail, letting out a soft whine as a greeting. He stared at me for a few moments before saying, "Aren't you the mutt from yesterday? The one Helmeppo wanted?"

I just tiled my head to the side at his questions, an impish smirk plastered into my façade - it's not like I could answer him.

"Go away then mutt, go on, shoo! If anyone catches you here you'll be in trouble. Shoo."

My amusement grew as he tried to get rid of me. '_How sweet,_' I thought. Zoro even cares enough about dogs to try and help them like he's going to do to the kid. But, he didn't convince me to go away, instead I took the last few steps forward and rubbed myself against his legs in a friendly manner. I let out a soft '_woof_' and looked up to meet his gaze again, my tail still wagging softly.

I heard him mutter something about stupid animals under his breath and he used his foot to nudge me away saying, "Shoo, before I kick you."

In response I just let out a playful growl and sat down on the ground staring at him. He stared back at me in annoyance and we sat in silence for a few seconds staring at each other. Deciding that it would be safer if I didn't stay here too long after all, I stood up again and walked towards him to say goodbye. Rubbing my head against his leg again I then turned around and took off running at the wall, jumping it much the same as before, before disappearing into the alleys again.

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><p>The next day, after sleeping in my den made of cardboard boxes again, I spent the day lurking around yet again and then at the end of the day, I went to visit Zoro yet again, like the night before. This time though, I noted with a slight twinge of worry that there was a few bruises on his body. Nothing that he couldn't handle I'm sure, but it still pissed me off.<p>

On the fourth day of being stuck as a dog, I ran into the little girl I'd saved a few days earlier. I was darting through an alley when I saw her walking past the entrance. I was so shocked upon seeing her that I wasn't watching where I was going and managed to knock over a glass bottle. The sound of it clattering against the ground echoed around the alley walls. Her head shot around to look in my direction, her eyes widening as she saw me. We both froze for a few moments before she looked around, and then she walked into the alley.

She held out her hand in front of her and said softly, "Here doggy, doggy." As degrading as the term she used was, I figured I'd better get used to it. I trotted playfully towards her, letting out a soft 'woof' in a greeting. She reached out and began to pat my head with a smile on her face declaring, "You tried to help save me the other day, thank you very much." I just wagged my tail in response to her thanks.

She kept patting me, sliding her hand from my head to the back of my neck, and I flinched away in pain with an involuntary growl as she brushed over my wounds from the fight with the wolf. My thick fur hid the wounds from plain sight, but they were still there and painful.

"I-I'm sorry," the little girl stuttered and I felt bad for growling. I let out a whine to let her know it was okay. "You're still hurt from that wolf aren't you?" She stepped forward, running her hand gently over the rest of my fur where the wolf had bitten me, and she frowned when she felt the rest of my lacerations.

"Come with me!" she declared suddenly. "I can help your sores." She was such a cute kid, I was starting to feel glad I'd help to protect her as she turned around and strode out of the alley calling. "Come on!"

I hesitated but figured it couldn't hurt to follow her, after all she wasn't going to give me into Helmeppo. She led me to a small house, which I'm guessing was where she and her mother lived. She ushered me inside and I cast a glaze around, seeing that her place was quiet a quaint place.

"My mother doesn't get home till later, she works most of day. But I doubt mommy will be happy about me bringing you here so you'll have to hide. You don't mind do you?" I wondered idly whether the kid talked to all animals like she was talking to me; most of them wouldn't understand her. But, lucky me I guess. I responded to her question by letting out a yip and flashing my pearly white fangs in a smile.

The kid kept talking to me, I guess she gets lonely and will talk to anyone or anything. Not that it was an odd though, but I learnt her name was Rika from rambling which was handy. She rubbed some cream on my bite marks, which burnt a bit, but I was guessing that it was a good thing. She then feed me some left over rice and vegetables, and after not eating for a few days I was ravenous and wolfed down the whole thing within second, licking Rika's chin in thanks.

I spent the night in Rika's room under her bed hiding from her mother, and then coming out the next day whilst her mother was gone. I carried on that routine for several more days, not visiting Zoro anymore. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop myself from freeing him. Then the day finally came in which Luffy and Zoro met.

* * *

><p><strong>Updated 1512/12**

**Thanks to my beta Praeses for her hard work.**


	3. Threats From a Rat

I was lying lazily on the kitchen floor, watching Rika put together her rice balls and I couldn't help but laugh mentally as she put sugar instead of salt. Mom always said it was the thought that counted, so I let the kid go. She'd been pretty kind to me the last few days; hiding me in her house and feeding me scraps. I tried not to dwell on the fact that Zoro hadn't eaten anything at all from the time he was tied up. It made me feel really guilty with the whole situation. But, today was the day he gets free, thank Gods, and I'd been trying to figure out what I was going to do about my situation these past few days.

I can't stay with Rika. I don't think her mother would look kindly on having a dog; even with Morgan and his son gone. And, it can't have been coincidence that I was dropped right in on a main part of the story line right? So I think, at least I hope, that I am meant to go with Luffy and Zoro. But how do I achieve that? I can't go up and I say "I want to join." It sucks not being able to speak as a dog, but I was getting used to it. And they leave in a small boat so I couldn't exactly hide myself in their boat until they leave… At the moment my best plan is to help free Zoro and follow them back to their boat and jump on. It can't be that hard right? Right? I don't think I want to know the answer to that actually. I had thought of the fact that if I go with Luffy I will get in lots of trouble, get beat up many times, and be in constant danger of dying. But, hey, no pain no gain.

"I'm going to take these rice balls to Zoro now!" Rika declared happily, picking up her package that she'd managed to finish making while I had been lost in my musing. I felt a nervous jolt through my gut as I stood up, it was finally time. Lord help me.

* * *

><p>I followed loyally at Rika's heels as we left the house and started making our way through the town. I saw a few people look at us curiously as we passed, of course they would though. Most of these people wouldn't have seen me since they weren't there the day I helped save Rika and had most likely just heard stories about the event. I bet they're wondering what Rika and I are up to today.<p>

'_Well let them wonder,_' I thought deviously, my head held high as I pranced through the street with Rika.

When we reached the place that Zoro was being held I saw Luffy and the pink haired kid hanging on the wall to look at Zoro. My steps faltered as I realized I was seeing the _real_ Luffy. He looked just like a kid from behind but he is one hell of a powerful kid - or at least he was going to be.

While I was contemplating this, Rika had found a ladder and leaned it up against the wall next to the pink haired kid.

I watched her scrambled up it and I saw the curious looks she got and watched as she held her finger up to her mouth and said, "Shhh!"

This kid had balls, I had to give her that much. As she jumped over the wall to the other side I decided it was time get my own butt in gear, and I took off running at the wall. I managed to clear the wall easily with practiced ease.

I felt myself smirking as the pink haired kid called out to Rika, "Ah! Don't do it! It's dangerous!"

As I landed my jump I ran over to Rika's side again looking up in time to hear Zoro say, "Hey, what are you doing here?" He paused again, looking at her before continuing with, "Do you want to die or something? Get lost!"

Rika was not discouraged and just flashed that bright smile of hers that could charm the socks off a cat and said, "Umm, I made some rice balls for you! You haven't eaten for a long time right?" As she said that she held out the rice balls she had made earlier. "This is the first time I have made rice balls…"

"I'm not hungry! Go away!" was Zoro's only reply, causing me to emit a soft growl in his direction. He might have been trying to help the kid, but he was being damn rude about it.

"But…" Rika stuttered, her smile being replaced by a frown.

"I don't want it! Leave me alone! I'll kill you if you don't!" shouted Zoro, even if it was too late.

I spied a rat and his fleas heading this head and let out a soft growl as the rat said, "Roronoa Zoro! Don't pick on little kids or else I'll have to report it to my father."

Could this guy sink any lower?

I saw Rika and Zoro turn their head around in surprise and I heard Zoro mutter, "Tch, if it isn't the Lieutenant's bastard son…"

"Bastard?" questioned Helmeppo. "Don't get cocky, my dad is a Marine Lieutenant!" I think this rat did just sink lower than before.

Helmeppo came towards Rika and myself, reaching out and snatching up one of Rika's rice balls before I managed to put myself between Rika and the rat.

"Well hello little girl, these rice balls look pretty tasty," he remarked, causing me to growl louder in a warning.

"Ah! Stop it!" said Rika as Helmeppo took a bite out of her rice ball.

"Blegh!" He spat it out, a look of disgust on his face. "Horrible! You put too much sugar in it! You're meant to put salt in it!"

"But… but I thought they'd taste better if they were sweet!" Defended Rika.

Helmeppo threw the rice ball he'd just taken a bite out of right over my head and straight at Rika before I could react. It hit the other rice ball in her hand and they both rolled onto the ground and away from me and Rika.

Helmeppo stepped forward and started stomping down on the rice balls declaring, "How can someone eat something like this? Damn it!"

The only thing stopping me from mauling this guy so his face was no longer recognizable, even to his daddy, was the fact this needed to play out for the story. If that wasn't the case this guy would be chopped liver by now.

"Ah!" Rika cried out, trying to push past me to get to the rice balls but I pushed her behind me, not giving her a chance to get forward. "Stop it! Stop! He can't eat that now!"

"Don't worry! The ants will eat them!" he said mockingly as Rika fell to her knees behind me sobbing.

"That's so cruel… I tried really hard… To make them," she cried.

I took a step towards Helmeppo and snapped my jaws together in his direction as a warning. His eyes finally landed on me, as if seeing me for the first time while he had been here. "Ah! It's my dog!" he cried, seemingly happy.

I stopped, blinking for a few seconds. His... Dog? His? Oh fuck no! I might be a dog, but I sure as hell am not someone's property!

I took my growling up a notch and pulled back my gums to flash my teeth at him, hoping to scare him off. But, it seemed that he was as thick as a brick because he just turned his attention back to Rika stating, "This is all, your fault you know, didn't you see what's written here? 'Anyone who helps a prisoner will be charged with the same crime- Lieutenant Morgan'." He sneered at Rika and continued with, "You know how scary daddy can be right? You could have gotten the death penalty if you were an adult." He then turned back to the marines and said, "You! Throw this kid out! And you! Capture this dog for me, but do it right this time!"

"Huh!" cried out the one charged with throwing Rika out.

"I'm telling you to throw this kid out! Are you disobeying me? I'll tell my dad!" Helmeppo barked.

"Ay… aye sir!" The marine relented as both the marines turned their attention towards Rika and I.

I knew that to follow this story line Rika needed to be thrown over the wall, but it still pissed me off! I was not very good at following the story line, but unless I want to change a lot of things, I'd just have to let some things go. I knew Rika would be fine.

I took several steps towards the marines, not relenting on my growling and snarling. At least they seemed a bit put out by my attitude, and I saw the one who was ordered to capture me take a length of rope out of his pocket.

I didn't want to hurt these people. There was a difference between a wolf and humans, and I'd never been an aggressive type of person. In fact I hated hurting others, but I'm guessing I was going to have to get used to it. I took a deep breath and flung myself at the marine closest to me. He raised his arm up with a cry, trying to protect his face and neck, so I wrapped my jaws around his arm and slammed them shut around his arm. Again the unbelievable power behind a dog's jaws came into play as I heard bones in his arms break under the bite force. My teeth sliced into his skin like a knife in butter and I managed to knock him backwards onto the ground with the momentum from my leap.

I felt him struggle underneath me and I sunk my teeth further in, hoping and praying he'd give up so I didn't have to hurt him more. He let out a loud cry of pain which distracted me momentarily and a something hit my nose and the back of my neck. I jerked my head up in surprise, letting go off his arm. Whatever it was slid over my nose and rested against my chest, and I realized what it was just as it tightened around my neck. It was the rope! Shit.

I jumped off the man as he scrambled to his feet, pulling back on the rope to try and slip free, but the harder I pulled the tighter the rope become. The man who held the rope then tied it quickly to the post on which the sign about what happens to 'those who assist the prisoner' sat. He rushed out of my range as I charged at him. The rope cut my charge off short, jerking me to a rough stop.

I let out several rage filled barks at the men, seeing one of them turn away and walk over to Rika. He picked her up and started to walk over to the wall. I knew I'd be too late to help her now, again, I seem to be useless most of the time. Why am I even here then! I quickly shoved those thoughts out of my mind as I realized I'd be no good to anyone if Helmeppo got his hands on me.

Instead, I turned my attention to the rope around my neck. I picked up a loose piece in my jaws and began agitatedly gnawing on it. I could chew my way out if I was quick. No one was watching me, they were all watching Rika, so I didn't have to worry about anyone watching me chew threw my rope and trying to stop me. I heard Rika cry out as she was thrown over the wall at the same moment I chewed through the rope that was holding me. It was one hell of a flimsy rope if I could chew through it that quickly. But I didn't stop to admire my handiwork, I took off at full speed towards the wall, launching myself over it and after Rika.

Yet again I left Helmeppo and his men crying out in my wake as I ran. As I landed on the other side off the wall I landed next to Luffy who was brushing off his pants. I froze as he looked at me, meeting his gaze for the first time, my stomach tying itself in knots from nerves. We stared at each other for a few seconds, I seem to be staring at people and things a lot these days. I wagged my tail and let out a soft whine in greeting, my muzzle pulling into an impish grin. I saw the corner of his mouth quirk up in response and he then turned around and climbed over the wall to go see Zoro.

I quickly turned my attention To Rika, trotting over and licking her cheek with a whine to see if she was okay. She just gave me a pat on the head with a soft smile before we both turned our attention back to the pink haired boy. He looked ready to pee his pants whilst looking me. I wasn't that scary looking was I? Blah, don't answer that question.

* * *

><p>"Really!" Rika exclaimed<p>

"Yep, he ate all of it," confirmed Luffy with a grin.

We were all back at Rika's house after the incident, well sitting on the front steps at least. Rika then went on to explain about how Zoro and I saved her, and about Morgan and his unfair rule of this place. While she was doing this I had walked over to Luffy, my ears sitting back against my head, tail wagging slowly. I let out a soft whine before placing my head in his lap. I saw him look down at me with a smile before patting my head, causing me to close my eyes and rub my head into his palm.

Well, I'd gotten onto Luffy's good side at least, I was glad of that, but I was then jolted for my thoughts. Yet a fucking again it was none other than the daddy's boy himself calling out, "Heh heh heh heh, who dares raise their head? I'll tell my dad!" How many times was that now! He needs his voice box removed, I swear. "Do you want to be like Roronoa Zoro? I'm going to publicly execute him in three days! I'll use him as an example for all of you, it's going to be pretty interesting."

I lifted my head out of Luffy's lap as he stood up and walked over to Helmeppo. I decided to stand up and follow after Luffy, I seemed to have developed a liking for stirring shit with people.

"Three days?" questioned Luffy. "Didn't you say you'd give him a month?"

"I was only joking with him, only an idiot would believe that!" Helmeppo didn't get to say anymore before Luffy had launched a punch towards him, catching him across that face whilst gripping the front of his shirt so he couldn't get away. I knew Luffy was pissed about what Helmeppo had done to Zoro, but I wasn't as angry. I knew all along what was going to happen, which is the only reason I hadn't launched myself at the rat after Luffy had hit him.

"Luffy! Please stop! Clam down!" cried the pink haired boy, whom I'd learnt was called Coby. He ran over to Luffy trying to hold him back. "You want to mess with the Marines or something?"

"Coby, I've decided" Luffy started. "I'm going to ask Zoro to join me!"

My ears and head swiveled around as the citizens started to yell out things in shock, they were all wondering where Luffy kept his brains, if he had any. Actually that is good question, I needed to find that out later.

"Luffy! Calm yourself! They are Marines!" Coby yelled whilst still trying to hold Luffy back, but I don't think it was working very well. Luffy could have easily gotten out of Coby's grip if he had wanted.

"I don't care, a bastard is still a bastard!" stated Luffy as he glared at Helmeppo.

"Y… Y… You dare hit me! My dad hasn't even hit me once!" Helmeppo looked a bit crazed as he said that, but I'm guessing his attitude problem has something to do with his dad. Who knows? "I'm Marine Lieutenant Morgan's son! I'll tell him about this!"

As the daddy's boy said that last line most of the town's people seemed to freak out, and I'd had enough of standing here like an awkward banana, so I let out three loud barks in succession at Helmeppo to voice my disagreement, although I don't think he understood me.

"Why don't you fight me yourself?" challenged Luffy.

"Luffy, don't do this!" argued Coby.

"You'll regret hitting me!" cried out Helmeppo as his Marines helped him up and he started the running away routine that he was all too fond of. "You'll get the death sentence! And my dad will be the one to execute you!"

I watched as he and the Marines ran away, barking at him in a cheeky farewell.

"It's meaningless to hit people like him," sighed Luffy as Coby finally let him go.

"He ran away…" said Coby, looking shocked.

"Luffy you were so cool! Just then I was scared to death!" Rika praised. The kid had enough balls to go and feed Zoro, but was scared of the rat walking down the street? How did that work?

"Really?" Luffy said, a smile back on his face. "I should have hit him a couple more times!"

"Ri… Rika! Come here!" I turned my head, recognizing that voice.

It was Rika's mother and she looked to be worried about Rika, not that blame her. But still, poor Rika. Rika's mother lead her daughter away, chastising her about talking to strangers and going to the execution site.

"Bye, bye!" called Luffy in a cheerful way - this kid is going to give me whiplash with his moods.

Coby started to freak out again and Luffy declared he was off to see Zoro, and I didn't have anywhere else to go anyway so I followed him as he started walking off. I let out a soft bark to let Luffy know I was with him and Luffy sent me a strange look before asking, "You want to help Zoro too?"

In response to his question I threw my head happily up in the air and barked several more times. Luffy just smiled, taking my barking for a yes.

* * *

><p><strong>Updated 1512/12**

**Thanks to Praeses, my beta, for her hard work.**


	4. Scary Axes

"Yo," Luffy greeted Zoro casually as we strolled towards his prone form that was still snuggly tied up to the pole.

I gave Zoro my own greeting by barking happily at him, my tail still wagging. I don't see how dogs don't run out of energy with their tails wagging all the time - it was really tiring to keep the thing moving all the time. It was like constantly waving your hand at someone.

"It's you again?" questioned Zoro gruffly. "I told you I don't want to be a pirate!"

'_Jeez, does he even loosen up?_' I thought gruffly.

Luffy though was not fazed and continued talking to Zoro, "I'm Luffy. If I loosen up the ropes, then you're gonna join me, okay?"

"I've told you clearly. I have things that I need to do. Besides I'm not going to be a bad guy like a pirate." Zoro snapped back, but Luffy was not ready to give in that easy. He wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"What's the difference? Everyone already thinks you are a bad guy," Luffy pointed out, as blunt as ever.

"I don't care what they say about me!" snapped Zoro. "I haven't done one thing that I regretted in the past and it will be the same for the future. I won't become a pirate."

"I don't care! You're going to join me!" Luffy's replied, and again I was left laughing mentally at the stubbornness of the rubber-man.

"Don't decide for yourself!" yelled Zoro in rage. Steam was going to start coming out of Zoro's ears if he didn't calm down.

Luffy was still unaffected and asked, "Hey, I heard that you use a katana, is that right?"

"Hmph, if I wasn't being tied up I could use a katana." Thank the Gods, Zoro seemed to have calmed down some. Note to self, if Zoro gets angry talk about swords…. Wait I can't talk so that won't help me. Damn.

"Where is the katana?" Questioned Luffy.

"That bastard kid took it. It's something that I treasure most… Other than my life!" Zoro declared with fervor.

"Oh, treasure huh? It must be something great!" Luffy said before pausing for a few moments and continuing with, "Okay! I'm going to go to where that bastard kid is and get your katana back!"

"What!" yelled a shocked Zoro.

I was starting to feel sort of bad for him – Luffy was relentless. "No" wasn't a word that was registered in his vocabulary.

"But if you want me to return it to you, you'll have to join me!" said the smiling pirate, crossing his arms.

"That's dirty!" screamed Zoro. I do believe Zoro just lost his temper... Again.

Luffy then turned around, declaring that he was going to get the katana now and took off running, ignoring Zoro's yells from behind him.

I wasn't overly keen on the idea of going into the marine base with Luffy. He could handle that one by himself as far as I cared, so I sat down next to Zoro, tilting my head to the side so I could watch him curiously.

"What do you want dog?" Zoro questioned gruffly as if I could answer, so I let my tongue loll out of the side of my mouth with my tail brushing across the ground as it wagged. "Tch." Was the only reply I was graced with before we sat in silence.

'_I wonder what my family is doing right now… I hope they're okay_,' I thought mentally.

* * *

><p>"What… Pirate King… You're joking right?" Zoro's replied as Coby told Zoro of Luffy's dream.<p>

"Hehe, I was a bit shocked when I first heard him, but he's serious," Coby said sheepishly. Of course he's serious - this _is_ Luffy we are talking about.

**BANG! **

I launched myself out of my sitting position as a bullet hit Coby's shoulder, spraying blood through the air where the bullet bit into flesh.

'_STUPID IDIOT!_' I swore at myself. '_You brainless fool! How could you forget that would happen!_'

I cursed myself with several other unmentionable words, only just remembering as it happened that this _was_ going to happen. I spun around in search of who had shot the bullet - I was pissed now - but it appeared that it had been shot from the top of the tower, damn.

"AHH!" Coby screamed, dropping to the ground. "I've been shot! I'm bleeding!"

I rushed over to the poor kid's side looking at his wound. If he got it treated soon he wouldn't die I figured, he wasn't loosing blood _that_ fast. But nonetheless it was not a wound to laugh at either.

"I'M GOING TO DIE!" Coby wailed loud enough to hurt my ears.

"Are you alright?" questioned Zoro, seemingly genuinely concerned. He then gritted his teeth, head spinning around, and hissed, "Run for your life, they're almost here!"

"No!... I-I've got to set you… Free as soon as possible!" Coby began to try and push himself up, so I ran around behind him, using my head to try and help nudge him up.

"There's no need to worry about me!" Zoro cried. "As long as I can last the month they'll set me free! Hurry up and leav-"

Zoro didn't get any further before Coby interrupted, "They will not set you free! Because they're gonna kill you in three days!"

"Nonsense! That bastard promised me if I could survive the month he'd set me free!" interjected Zoro.

"He never intended to keep his promise! That's why Luffy punched him on your behalf! Because he was toying with you!" Coby was trying desperately to get the point across - I felt sorry for Zoro though.

"W-What did you just say…?" Zoro said in disbelief.

Coby continued to try and convince him, begging this time, "The navy will never let the two of you off! Please, after I set you free please help rescue Luffy! I will not force you to be a pirate, but Luffy is my savior! Luffy is very strong, as long as you two join forces you'll definitely be able to escape this town, definitely!"

Coby was on his hands and knees now, panting. I licked his cheek in concern - I hated seeing people hurting or being hurt right in front of my eyes.

"That's enough! The two of you who have betrayed Lieutenant Morgan… DIE HERE!" I spun around in shock, seeing half a dozen marines with gun pointing them straight at us. When the hell did they get here?

"How interesting," drawled Morgan as he walked towards us, "the three of you are planning to cause a political upheaval?"

A growl grew in my throat as I finally saw Morgan, he was HUGE. A lot more intimidating then I first thought he would be.

"Roronoa Zoro, I've heard of your name from a long time ago, but do not underestimate me. Before my great strength... You're just garbage!" the huge guy boasted. "READY!" He ordered and the marines aimed their guns. Coby looked like he was about to wet himself. Not that I blame him at all. I don't think I was that far behind him. But I knew Luffy would save us. He had to! I strode in front of Coby, placing myself before him. It wouldn't be that much use if we did get shot, but it seemed to make him feel better.

I pulled back my gums, flashing my teeth, my ears flat back again my head, tail standing straight up in the air. I arched my back and neck, letting a vicious growl slip out of my chest. It was mostly a bluff. There was nothing I could do, but hey, if I was about to die I was going to go out with a bang. Luffy should be showing up soon… Right?

I thought I heard a window smashing but the sound was swallowed by the loud "FIRE!" from Morgan and the sound of guns going off.

I squeezed my eyes closed, not daring to watch and suddenly the light from in front of me was blocked. I looked up to Luffy standing in front of us. He came through - good to know I haven't changed the plot line that much.

"YOU!" cried Zoro.

"LUFFY!" Coby screamed.

I watched as the bullets sunk into his skin and then bounced straight back out as Luffy declared, "It's no use!" before bursting out in some maniacal laughter. I heard the marines screaming in fear as the bullets came back towards them and couldn't help but barking loudly as applause to Luffy's feat.

Coby collapsed back onto the ground in relief as Zoro yelled, "What kind of human are you!"

Luffy just laughed and then stated, "I'm the one who will become the Pirate King!" He then turned to Zoro and held out three katana. "Look! Which one is your treasured katana?"

"All three belong to me, because I use three katana," Zoro said with a smirk.

I trotted over to Luffy and happily licked his arm before rubbing my head against his leg, I sure was glad to see him. "Resisting the Navy here with me will make you an outlaw. Or maybe you'd rather die here?" questioned Luffy, reaching down to pat the top of my head with a grin.

"Are you the offspring of the devil?" Zoro questioned Luffy. "Forget it, instead of just dying here why don't I accept your request… And become a pirate!"

Now he was talking! About damn time.

"Yes! I have a companion!" Luffy declared happily as if there weren't lots of marines about to try and kill him.

"Okay, just hurry up and get these ropes off of me!" And Luffy did just that… Or at least tried to anyway. This is Luffy we are talking about after all. Luffy is hopeless.

"Damn, this knot is so hard to untie," Luffy muttered ignoring Zoro's yells for him to hurry up.

My head shot towards Coby as he cried out, "LUFFY! ZORO! WATCH OUT!"

I turned around and saw the marines charging at us with their swords drawn. Have you ever had one of those moments when all you can think is '_Oh fuck' _and that's all your brain is willing to do? Yeah, well I was having one of those moments. What the hell was I, a dog, meant to do against a heap of guys with swords? I'd just got picked up and thrown into a new world, and I was suddenly expected to know how to fight.

I flinched back as they came closer and pulled their swords back, ready to strike, whilst Luffy was still trying to untie Zoro in a carefree manner. I closed my eyes and prayed something would happen to save us. I waited and it seemed my prayers had been answered when I heard metal hit metal. Zoro, it seemed, had got out in time and was now armed with all three swords, blocking the oncoming marines.

"All of you better not move," Zoro said in an eerie voice. "If you move I'll kill you."

The marines had tears running down their eyes now, scared witless.

"I already told you I'd be a pirate with you... Either way, after this incident with the Marines I'll be an outlaw too. But it's okay, I still have my own goals! I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman! Bad guy, good guy, it no longer matters. As long as my name is known worldwide! If you do something that ends up in the way of my goal I will have to cut your stomach open to say sorry." About time Zoro got his head in the game.

"Good! To be the world's number one swordsman. Since you want to be the Pirate King's crew member, if you can't even accomplish something that small, then I would be very embarrassed as well," Luffy replied in a serious tone.

"Heh," Zoro said. "Well said."

"What are you guys standing there for!" yelled Morgan. "Hurry up and finish those guys off!"

"Zoro, dog, duck!" Luffy cried, and Zoro and I both did exactly as he said.

"Gomu Gomu no..." Luffy said as he pulled his leg back "Muchi*!"

Using his leg, he hit all the marines and knocked them back like bowling pins.

"What are you…?" muttered Zoro.

"I'm a rubber man," Luffy replied happily with his silly grin.

I stood back up as Luffy lowered his leg again, and I let out two barks, my eyes glowing with excitement. That was one awesome move. It was one thing seeing it on T.V. but it was a whole other thing to actually see it. It was slightly sickening, just like the videos online where it shows people breaking limbs in slow motion, but at the same time it was amazing.

All of our heads turned around to see three marines holding guns up to their temples. I remembered this bit vaguely. The bits I did remember of this show seemed to vary, some things were pretty vague and others very clear. It was starting to get annoying. Mind you, I did watch it years ago and didn't keep up with it, so it only makes sense I'd forgotten some things.

"What the hell do those marines think they are doing?" snarled Zoro as Luffy charged forward.

"I'm the marine's worst enemy," Luffy said, throwing his rubber arm back and launching it to latch onto to Morgan's axe. Using the axe as an anchor of sorts Luffy pulled himself forward so he was standing in front of Morgan. "If you have guts then execute me yourself!"

"LUFFY!" Coby yelled. "Defeat the Marines!"

I stood back with Zoro and watched as Morgan took his coat off, saying some things to Luffy as he did so, something along the lines of how Luffy was a worthless opponent, or something to that effect. My mind was more concentrated on watching the action, rather than paying attention to the ramblings of a soon-to-be unconscious Marine Lieutenant. Morgan then swung his axe at Luffy who jumped over it, and the axe sliced cleanly through a fence. I had to admit that was no small feat, I can't believe that axe just sliced through the fence like butter! That was insane. Imagine what would happen to a body in the way of that axe. It gave me shivers.

I watched the rest of the fight between them. Luffy was defiantly winning for sure until Helmeppo cried out, "Wait!"

All Luffy did was spare him a glance and carried on.

"You idiot! I told you to wait!" he cried again, holding up the gun to Coby's temple. "If you want this guy to survive then don't move! If anyone moves I'll shoot!"

I froze on my spot, yet another bit I'd forgotten of the show! I can't believe I forgot that too! Poor Coby, He's been pushed around and shot, and now has to deal with a gun being pointed at his head.

But Coby surprised me when he said, "Luffy! I…I don't want to be in your way, I'm not afraid of death!"

"Okay, I know," Luffy said with a smile "You stupid son, Coby's not afraid of death!" Luffy began to pull back his arm.

"You idiot! I told you not to move or I'll shot him!" Helmeppo was beginning to sound desperate now.

"Luffy behind you!" cried Coby in alarm as he saw Morgan behind Luffy, raising his axe.

Luffy Drew back his Arm and said "Gomu Gomu no…PISTOL!" At which point he flung out his arm and punched the rat right across his face, yet again.

Luffy said, "Nice."

Luffy completely ironed Morgan as the marine began to swing his arm downwards. Before he could hit Luffy, Morgan collapsed backwards against the dirt, Zoro appearing next to him.

"Leave it to me Captain," Zoro said, smirking at Luffy.

There were shocked cries from the marines at the sight of Morgan's defeat.

Zoro turned his attention back to them, challenging, "If you want to arrest us come get us."

The marines instead threw up their swords and started celebrating with cheers, loud calls and dancing. I felt a satisfied smirk slip onto my muzzle as I trotted over to Luffy and Zoro. Then it suddenly hit me that Zoro was going to collapse so I picked up the pace and ran straight for Zoro. Before I got to him he'd already fallen to the ground, so I ran up to him, licking his cheek in worry.

* * *

><p>"I'm full!" cried Zoro, patting his stomach. "Haven't eaten for nine days, almost starved to death."<p>

We were all sitting in Rika's house, Coby, Zoro and Luffy sitting at the table and me sitting against the wall watching them. The other three had eaten their fill, and Rika, the sweetheart, made sure I got some food too. I let my mind wander back to the fight before, and realized that I was pretty much useless, other than fretting over everyone like a mother hen. I can't keep up like that or Luffy won't let me join him for sure.

I came back to reality as a Marine walked in asking, "Excuse me, we were wondering are you really pirates?"

"Yep," Luffy replied, ever the optimist. "I just found my first crew member, so that would make us pirates."

"Even though you are pirates in reality you saved our town and base, and for that we are grateful. But since you are pirates…. As Marines we cannot allow you to stay any longer. Please leave this place immediately. As for the events that occurred here, we will be reporting it to headquarters," the Marine declared solemnly.

My sensitive ears picked up on the complaints of the town's people but Luffy just stood up, his eyes cast down and said, "Well then, let's go. Thanks for the good food ma'am."

Zoro and Luffy began to walk out, and I stood up, but hesitated. Should I really go with them? I could stay here with Rika? Or make friends with Coby and look after him. But somehow that wouldn't feel right. I _feel_ like I need to go with Zoro and Luffy. Lord help me.

I saw Coby hesitate and not follow after us out the door and the marine addressed him saying, "Hey, aren't you with their group?"

"I…" Coby hesitated. "I… I'm... not. I'M NOT WITH THEM!" Coby clenched his fists and looked ready to cry, but I couldn't miss the smirk that made its way onto Luffy's face.

"Please hold on," the marine asked. "Is he telling the truth?"

Luffy turned around and began to say, "I know what this guy used to do. I can't remember where, but he used to be with this fat old biddy, I think her name was Alvida. It was a fat and ugly female pirate, this guy spent two years there-" Luffy was cut off as Coby punched his across the face.

"SHUT UP!" he screamed at Luffy. I could still see Luffy's smile though.

Luffy turned around and hit Coby straight across in payback and cried, "You deserve a beating!" And then Luffy continued to hit him, which I thought might have been a bit excessive.

"Both of you stop it!" yelled the marine. "I won't allow this town to get in any more fights!"

Zoro strolled over to Luffy, putting his hand on his shoulder and pulling back Luffy, stating, "Hey, you went overboard. Stop it."

Poor Coby was left sprawled on the ground, but they ploy worked when the Marine called out to us as we left, "I know he isn't your friend, Please leave this town immediately!"

I halted for a second, turning around and rushing back over to Rika. I left one big sloppy kiss on her cheek and then headed for Coby and done the same. I was a dog and I knew a dog would get away with it, they think dogs are just brainless animals so they won't suspect much.

I then bolted out of the door, heading after Zoro and Luffy and I caught up with them in time to hear Zoro taunting some Marines about arresting him. Any sorrow I had about leaving Rika and Coby instantly flew out the window, instead it was replaced by amusement at Zoro's antics.

I followed along behind them, hoping they wouldn't send me away, but my worry was for naught when they didn't acknowledge me at all. We made it to the pier and stopped by a small boat with a barrel of something in it. I hope it was water, not rum or beer or whatever else it could be.

Luffy started untying the knots tying the boat to the dock as Zoro said, "Nice act, this way even though he's been a pirate before it wouldn't be such a big deal."

"I believe Coby will become stronger and more independent in the future!" Luffy stated.

"Time to go, or else there is no telling what else will happen. Not leaving anything behind is what being a pirate is all about," Zoro said in a lax manner.

"Haha, that's what I'm saying," Luffy said before they heard someone calling Luffy's name and they turned around only to find Coby. No one had said anything about me yet, so let's hope it stays that way.

"Thank you very much!" Coby cried gratefully, bringing up his arm to salute Luffy and Zoro. "I will never forget you for the rest of my life!"

"I've never seen a marine salute pirates before," Zoro joked.

Luffy just laughed and said, "Coby, one day we'll meet each other again!"

Suddenly the marines appeared behind Coby and the leader cried out, "Group salute!"

It was one of the funniest things I've seen in a while, a group of Marines saluting two pirates.

Luffy and Zoro climbed in the boat and my stomach flipped flopped. It was now or never. So, once they had both settled in, I ran forward, jumping off the edge of the platform and into the small boat. It rocked under my feet as I landed, but I managed to keep my feet.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at me and I flinched back with a whine - not the greeting I would have hoped for. We had already started drifting away, "What are you doing here dog, get out!"

I whined yet again, and turned my eyes to Luffy, trying to imitate the puppy eyes I'd seen dogs use before. I dropped my ears back and my tail gave a little wag, hopping Luffy would let me stay.

Luffy just looked at me for a second before laughing and saying, "Looks like we've got another companion! The dog helped save you too, you know, Zoro."

I let out a happy bark, the pace of my tail picking up. Yes! Luffy basically just said I could come! I love Luffy!

Zoro just gave me one of his looks before saying, "Tch. Whatever."

I guess that was as good as I was going to get, so I scrambled over to Luffy, licking his cheek in thanks and then laid on the ground, dropping my head onto my paws. I was exhausted, yet another busy day out of the way. I let my eyes slip closed, too busy to think on what was coming and drifted off to sleep, the rocking of the boat lulling me away into a dream land.

* * *

><p><strong>*Gum Gum Whip<strong>


	5. Boat Guard

"Urgh, I'm so hungry." Zoro's complaint caused me to let out a soft growl in annoyance. It was close to the fourth time that either he or Luffy had pointed out how hungry they were. I was hungry too, but I wasn't complaining about it. I know I couldn't talk anyway, but still! "It's funny that you have absolutely no navigating skills," Zoro said dryly, obviously not finding it that funny at all.

If I had remembered that neither of them knew how to navigate, I would have found a way to bring some food with us, but no, that was another conveniently forgotten point.

"What? I've always just been wandering," Luffy defended. "You're like me too, wandering and capturing wanted pirates for rewards."

"I don't remember saying I live completely off rewards! I was searching for a man and that's why I left to the sea, but now I can't find my way home." If I was human I would have been laughing my ass off. His sense of direction was funny and sad at the same time. I missed not being able to laugh, stupid dog vocal cords. "I had no choice but to start hunting pirates for a living, I had to earn my money somehow," Zoro recalled.

"Oh, so you're lost?" Oh poor blunt Luffy, one day that mouth of his is going to get him in some real trouble.

Zoro's head whipped around as he yelled, "Shut up! You're the one who's lost!" He then took a breath a calmed down before continuing. "Geez, never heard of a pirate that doesn't know how to navigate. How do you expect to go to the grand line like this? You should hurry up and find a crew member who knows how to navigate!"

"And someone who knows how to cook, and someone who can sing," Luffy said counting off on his fingers.

"Idiot!" shouted Zoro.

I smiled softly at their antics, but I was too tired to lift my head from my paws. Not having food for a long period of time can do that to you. I feel like all my energy had been sapped. Otherwise, I would have crawled over to Zoro and Luffy when they both dropped exhaustedly on the bottom of the boat in a spread eagle position. But instead I just looked at them for a few seconds before closing my eyes again.

"Oh!" Zoro said so suddenly that I opened my eyes again. "A bird!"

I suddenly realized what they were talking about and what was going to happen. If I had more energy maybe I would have done something about it, but instead I just closed my eyes again, my grin spreading as I realized what was about to happen.

"Looks pretty tasty," Luffy muttered.

'_I dare say it's thinking the same about you right now,' _I thought to myself.

"Let's eat that bird!" Luffy declared, sitting up suddenly.

"How are we going to eat it…?" was Zoro's only question.

"I'll get it!" I couldn't resist the temptation at cracking my eyes open and lifting up my head to watch what about to happen. "Watch my specialty," Luffy said whilst reaching up to grab the mast of the ship. "Gomu Gomu no… ROCKET!" He then launched himself up into the air and at the bird while Zoro watched in shock.

"I can't believe he thought of that…" Said Zoro, sitting up to watch Luffy. I'm guessing he didn't think Luffy was able to have that level of higher thought. Not that I blamed him.

"Huh?" I heard him say at the same time I saw the bird open its beak to trap Luffy's head in between its beak as it kept flying with Luffy in it's grip now.

"AHH! HELP ME!" Luffy screamed.

"YOU IDIOT!" was what Zoro yelled back, and yet again I wish I had the ability to laugh. It would have come in handy right now. I felt like I was going to pop from amusement at the hilarity of this situation. "What the heck are you doing!" Zoro grabbed the oars and began to try and paddle his way after Luffy, his hunger now forgotten.

Zoro was rowing as fast as he could when we both heard voices calling out.

"Hey stop the boat!" called one.

"Hey! Boat over there, stop!" called another.

I lifted my head up lazily as Zoro called out, "I don't have time to stop. You guys get on yourself!"

I was left racking my brain trying to figure out what part these guys played. It was vague but I knew these guys weren't good. I couldn't remember if they were they part of Buggy's crew, or if they were attacked by Buggy's crew. I couldn't figure it out but then I remembered that they tried to highjack the boat, and that Zoro kicked their asses.

All three of them managed to get a grip on the boat as we zoomed past – we were going pretty damn fast for a rowboat. I quickly scrambled up to sit near Zoro, pressing my side against his leg. He sent me a curious glance and I meet his gaze before looking back at the pirates that were now aboard our ship and growled softly at them so that only Zoro could hear me. He looked back at them and his gaze hardened as if he knew what I was trying to tell him. Well, I hope he did anyway.

"Hey, your climbing skills aren't half bad," Zoro said offhandedly.

"Were you trying to run us over!" they all cried. They muttered to themselves about how crazy we were, before they each pulled out a weapon.

"Hey, stop the boat," the one with the really weird hair, like a clown, demanded.

"This is the pirate Buggy's territory," said the fat one as Zoro's eyes narrowed.

"What!" he demanded sharply.

Within less than a minute the three pirates were rowing our boat for us, each bearing their own share of bruises and bumps. I smirked impishly at Zoro and was glad that I was on his good side.

"We didn't know you were 'Pirate Hunter Zoro'. We are really sorry," the one in the middle said with his stupid hat askew. They sounded really pathetic with their sniveling.

"You three made me lose track of my friend! Put your back into it. If I don't find my friend you three are in for it." That threat from Zoro was enough to get them to put more effort into the rowing. "Oh yeah, why were the three of you drifting in the middle of the ocean?"

"Yes, yes! Good question, you finally asked," said the seeming leader of the trio before they all starting blabbing out random things.

"That girl!"

"Yea! That bad girl!"

"But she's real cute too."

I could have face palmed then if I still had my human physique. They quickly explained about how the orange-headed girl outsmarted them and stole their ship and treasure.

"She can predict the weather? This girl must be something special. I wonder if she'd join us," mused Zoro, which in turn caused the trio to start spluttering random things.

"If I find her, I'm gonna kill her!"

"First we gotta get out loot back!"

"Yea…if we go back empty handed Buggy will…"

"Who's Buggy?" Asked Zoro.

"He's our pirate leader. Haven't you heard of Buggy the Clown? He's a dangerous man who ate one of the Devil's Fruit," The leader of the trio explained quickly.

"Ate a Devil's Fruit…" Zoro muttered causing me to let out a soft sigh.

Geez, what was I going to do during this whole Buggy saga. I hadn't been thinking about it much, so I guess I'm just going to have to do everything in the moment. Plus I forgot half the things that happened.

'_Well, this is going to be fun,' _I thought. '_Note the sarcasm.'_

* * *

><p>That bloody bastard! That no good son of a bitch!<p>

We had arrived at the docks and tied up the boat, and Zoro decided that he was going to get our hitchhikers to take him to Buggy to see if he could get any information and Luffy's current whereabouts. So there he goes and hops out of the boat with them, and before I could get out of the boat he turns around and says to me, "You, dog. Guard the boat." And then he had the nerve to turn around and walk away, leaving me sitting in a boat all by myself and tied up at a dock that was in _hostile_ territory.

I just sighed irritably and laid down in the boat, curling in a ball and shuffling under one of the seats on the boat. If anyone tried to come on the boat I could pop out and get them, but I wasn't just going to sit around in plain sight. Damn Zoro just leaving me here...

* * *

><p>I waited for what seemed like quite a while, debating where or not to leave the ship. I was asked to guard it, but from what? No one would want this shit boat. I should really stay here though. Wouldn't I break their trust if I disobey an order now? But something was nagging me that I was here for a reason, and that I shouldn't sit on my ass.<p>

When the smell of smoke reached my nostrils so did the memory of the dog and the pet shop. I remembered what happened to that poor dog and it pissed me off. But at the same everyone was mostly fine, and Nami came with when they came back this time.

If I'm going to stay with the Strawhat's I needed to prove my worth. If I was given a job or an order I was going to carry it out even if it drove me insane or killed me!

With that figured out I closed my ears again, letting my ears act as the main security measure, listening out for any strange noises or the sound of people.

* * *

><p>At one stage I heard the three hitchhikers that we'd given a ride before crawl into the boat next to us, whispering something I couldn't hear properly. After I was satisfied that they wanted nothing to do with the boat I was charged with guarding I relaxed again.<p>

* * *

><p>I heard voices getting closer to my current position, and I tensed all my muscles until I recognized one of the voices as Luffy's. I instantly relaxed and crawled out from my pace under the seat, popping my head up so that I could see.<p>

In front of me stood Luffy, with an injured Zoro over his shoulder and Nami standing not too far away from him.

I let out several loud barks and launched myself out of the boat heading straight for Luffy. I saw him grin when he saw me which made me happy; at least he was glad to see me. Running over to, I glanced at Zoro in concern and then gently poked his leg with my nose, emitting a soft questioning whine.

"He's fine," said Luffy, still smiling.

I just nodded my head and turned my attention to Nami, who was also looking back at me. Oh dear me, here we go, another staring contest with someone after I first meet them. Am I going to have to go through this with the whole crew?

Our staring contest was cute short though when a voice yelled out, "We have been waiting for you thief!"

It was the trio of hitchhikers, so _that's_ why they had hidden on that boat.

"You…you guys…are," Nami stuttered, looking surprised to see them here.

"We knew you'd come back!"

"Hehehehe, I never dreamed that we'd see this boat again in this harbor after you stole it."

"You won't be able to say you've forgotten us."

"You know these guys?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Hmm, sort of…" Nami looked like she'd rather be having any other conversation then this one.

"'Sort of!' We have a long history!" cried the leader of the trio before continuing. "So you have a gang now? I guess we get to teach you all a lesson. "

"Stealing from others is such a terrible thing to do." The leader jumped off the boat and strolled over to Luffy, Zoro, and I before he reached over and started patting Zoro's green head. "Haha, man, don't faint like a coward, stupid. Hey, hold your face up properly!"

Zoro head lifted up with a, "Huh?" as he sent one of the most evil glares I'd seen so far directed at the trio. I was just glad it wasn't directed at me. The trio all jumped back in shock, crying out due to their fear. They then jumped in the water and took off swimming for their lives and leaving me barking a farewell to them in amusement. I guess they'd remembered Zoro from earlier then. Though, really? Who doesn't remember a guy with green hair and three swords at his hip? I guess it proves that they really were idiots then...

We then all clambered in our respective boats, Nami in her stolen one and the three of us in the little boat we got here in.

"Let's go!" Said Luffy eager as ever to get going before he noticed something about Nami's boat. "Hey, that flag has Buggy's mark on it."

"It was those pirates' boat, so of course it does," Nami said. "I'll erase it later."

"STOP RIGHT THERE YOU MORONS!" We all looked back to see an old man standing on the dock. If I remember the story correctly then it was the town's mayor. "I'm sorry! I owe you!" he cried. What a nice man.

Luffy just flashed one of his cheesy grins as we set off, Zoro flashed his trademark smirk, and Nami was the only one left smiling like a normal person.

"Don't worry about it!" Luffy yelled back. "Just live happy lives!"

Even though I hadn't really done anything this time around I was still tired, dogs seem to sleep an awful lot, so I just curled up in a ball by Luffy's feet and drifted off into a deep sleep, comfortable in the presence of the pirates and thief that were around me. I was glad that all was working out well so far, we might not be far into our adventure but it sure as hell was fun so far. Just I was on the verge of sleep though a thought came to me.

'_I still haven't had a damn thing to eat yet... Bugger.'_


	6. Damn Cat

"We need to plan things more," Nami stated, her chin cupped in her hand in a thinking gesture. We had been sailing for a few days and so far everything had been fine so far. No major battles, no dramas, nothing. It had been peaceful.

"What do you mean?" asked Luffy.

"Do you really plan to go to the grand line like this?" Nami said, as if not believing that our captain could really be that thick. Unfortunately though, he _was _that thick – no doubt about it.

"Oh, that's right! Uncle Cabbage gave us lots of fruit, but we don't have any meat left." That's another thing I'd noticed about Luffy, his mind was either on pirates, fighting, or eating.

"I'm not talking about food supplies!" snapped Nami.

"And we don't have any sake to drink either, how boring." Guess whom that came from? None other than the green haired pirate hunter who was currently slouched lazily against the side of the boat.

"Let's not worry about the problem of food and drink right now!" Nami snapped yet again. If she kept losing her temper like this around the guys she'd have grey hairs very soon.

"The place we are going, the Grand Line, is the most dangerous place in the world. Every pirate in the world wishes to get the treasure there. So we need to get a better ship first!" Nami lectured.

As they had been talking my, head had been swiveling back and forth between them; my tongue lolling lazily out of the side of muzzle.

"We are also short on crew members and this boat doesn't have any equipment," she continued. "No matter what you think, we can't possibly be safe!"

"Oh!" Luffy finally seemed to get Nami's point. "So what do we do then?"

"We have to prepare first, and plan for the journey ahead. There is a village due north, we should go there first. First thing to do when we get there is look for a better boat," Nami planned.

"And eat some meat!" Luffy cried, which at this stage I was starting to think it wasn't such a bad idea - I had been living off scraps for the last few days. Although I guess I couldn't complain because I was being a free-loader at the moment and he yet to do anything to earn my keep in this crew. I needed to prove myself soon.

* * *

><p>"Wow there really is an island here!" cried Luffy as we pulled up to the island and started to all clamber out.<p>

"So, what did you expect?" questioned Nami. "We followed the map so it won't be wrong." She obviously had no idea who bad these two were with maps. One was an idiot, and the other was an idiot with no sense of direction. I couldn't claim to be much better than them though. I'd never had to use maps before, so I couldn't read them.

"Oh…" Luffy muttered before asking, "Is there a village here?"

I stretched out my limbs out with a lazy yawn, happy to be moving again. I was glad that I had room to finally move again. Being stuck a small boat for days on end isn't good for a dog that needed to exercise.

"Uh huh! Looks like there is a small village," confirmed Nami as she took a look at the map.

Zoro seemed to have the same idea as me as he began stretching as well whilst muttering, "Been a long time since I stood on firm ground." I let out a grunt in agreement.

I cast my eyes up the hill and saw some people hiding in the bushes behind a log at the top. Wasn't that Usopp and his little veggies?

"By the way, I just noticed a moment ago, what are those guys doing there?" At the same time Zoro said that they all turned they heads to the top of the hill. It took them long enough to spot our little spies.

Seeing that their cover was blown I watched the three little veggies freak out and take off running away from us while Usopp was yelling after them. I couldn't blame the veggies for running though, they were only little kids. Usopp then turned back us, sweat gathering on his forward head as he stared at us nervously.

He spun around and proclaimed, "I am the great pirate fleet leader, Usopp, who is in charge of the security of this island. Also known as Captain, Captain Usopp." Usopp then crossed his arms as he walked to stand in front of us. "It's best if you don't try and attack this village, because my 8 million men will not forgive you."

"You're lying right?" Asked Nami.

Usopp freaked out, reaching his hands up to clasp either side of his head as he yelled, "Waa! I've been caught!"

Nami deadpanned and said, "See, you even said so yourself."

"Argh! Did I just say that? Bad planning, bad planning indeed!" he cried.

Poor bloke didn't have a very good poker face or game plan. He was a pretty bad liar too...

Luffy just started laughing and said to Usopp, "You're so funny!"

"Hey don't underestimate me!" Snapped Usopp. "I am a man with high self-esteem. And everyone calls me the honorable Usopp!"

Who was everyone, exactly?

* * *

><p>A few minutes later found me lying outside the door of a café while everyone else stuffed their faces, and since dogs weren't allowed into cafes I was left to stay outside. I let out a deep sigh, my ears dropped back in moping expression.<p>

'_Why did I have to come here as I dog?_' I thought '_I'm going to die of either starvation or malnutrition before anyone has a chance to kill me._' Although, I guess I should be happy that I wasn't left guarding the boat again. Maybe that was because we weren't in hostile territory this time. Luckily I knew the basic story behind Usopp and his lady friend, I forgot her name, so at least I wasn't missing _that _much not being inside.

I watched with a raised eyebrow as Usopp ran out of the café muttering about being late and then I remember that he had to tell his lady friend those 'stories' of his. If that was the case his little veggies should be here soon then.

And that they were, a few minutes after Usopp left I saw the three little veggies making their way towards the café, each of them holding a short wooden sword. I don't know what they planned to do against three pirates with wooden swords, but I have to give then some credit for their bravery at least.

I watched as they walked in; my head still not leaving its resting place on top of my front legs. I was too comfortable to move at moment.

After another short while they all came out of the café, so I lazily heaved myself back up to my paws. Nami walked towards me before bending down in front of me, holding out a serviette with some leftover meat.

"Here, I thought you might be hungry as well so I saved you some meat." I could have kissed her, and in fact I did. A dog kiss though, right on the cheek. At least someone cared about me, thank the Gods. I think having Nami around will be handy. Though she did make a face while she wiped the drool off of her cheek, mumbling under her breath.

I quickly ate the meat she offered and then we were all on our way to the mansion. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, the veggies, and I. What a weird looking bunch we must be.

* * *

><p>"Good afternoon!" called Luffy. "Please lend us a ship?" We were standing in front of the mansion, the gates blocking our entrance. Although apparently gates don't matter to Luffy because he just climbed right over them while saying, "Let's just go in."<p>

Nami just face palmed and hissed, "We can't stop him!"

"If we can't stop him then we'll have to follow him," said Zoro in a very nonchalant manner.

So that's what we did, we all followed Luffy until we saw Usopp, leaning against a tree and talking to a girl that was sitting in the window listening to Usopp. I was lazily trotting next to the little veggies as we walked towards them, my nose twitching curiously. My sense of smell had seemed to get better over the duration I had been a dog. It was stronger than when I was a human, but I seemed to be getting the hang of using it now. It was the same with my body too, any movements that would have been awkward before were slowly becoming coordinated. I guess I just needed some time to settle into my new body.

"Caaaaaaptain!" yelled Luffy towards Usopp. I'm guessing he was calling Usopp that to play along with Usopp's lies.

Usopp's head whipped around in shock when he was us and remarked, "Huh! What are you doing here?"

The three little veggies just pointed a Luffy and called out unanimously, "We brought him here!"

Usopp walked over to Luffy and threw his arm over Luffy shoulders, trying to play it cool as he said to his girlie, "These guys heard of my reputation and travelled far to see me. They are the new members of the Usopp pirate crew!"

"No, that's not it…" muttered Luffy before walking over the girl in the window and said, "We have a request."

"A request?" the girl asked, and as she was saying that I walked over to the window she was leaning on and jumped up to the window sill, balancing on the ledge as best as I could; thankfully it was a wide window ledge. I then sat down on and licked the girl's cheek in greeting. She appeared shocked by my sudden appearance for a few seconds before she smiled and reach out the pat the top of my head saying, "Hello there doggie."

If I remember correctly she was a kind girl; that's why I was saying hello to her like this. That and I felt bad for what was about to happen to her in the next few days.

"Yeah," Luffy said the girl. "We need a big ship!" Luffy was an idiot, it was as simple as that.

"What are you doing here!" yelled a voice before the girl could answer Luffy. "You can't just barge into a mansion like that!"

We all turned our heads to see a man dressed in a butler's uniform; I was very tempted to growl when I saw him but instead I held it.

"Klahadore…" Muttered the girl before she addressed him. "Listen Klahadore these people are…"

Klahadore just lifted up his hand to the girl as he walked closer to cut her off, "You don't have to explain, I will ask you about it later."

He then turned his attention to the other people standing around as I jumped down from my perch, walking back over to stand by Zoro with my head cocked to the side to keep up a doggish impersonation, but my eyes were narrowed in the butler's direction.

"Please get out," he demanded. "Or is there something else you need to say?"

Luffy just smiled like the dork his was and said bluntly, "I want a ship."

"No way," Klahadore said just as bluntly as Luffy had, before turning his attention to Usopp.

"You…. You're Usopp," he muttered and Usopp's lady friend gave a worried look. "I've heard some rumors about you, the villagers talk about you all the time."

"Oh… Oh thank you," Usopp said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You may call me Captain Usopp, everyone calls me that."

Klahadore just ignored his remark and pushed his glasses back up saying, "The guards said you were lurking outside the gates… What do you want?"

"Err... Err.." Usopp stuttered. "I heard there was a huge mole in the mansion! So I came to see it for myself."

"Hahaha, I can see that you certainly lie well," Klahadore said maliciously. "I have heard about your father too. You're a son of a filthy pirate. I'm not surprised that you turned out this way, but you had better step away from Kaya."

Oh, so that was her name – Kaya.

Luffy, Nami and Zoro shared shocked looks at the fact that Usopp's father was a pirate. Do people in this anime really judge others on who their parents were?

"His dad was a pirate…?" questioned Luffy.

"Did you say filthy pirate!" snarled Usopp.

"You and Kaya belong to different world," the butler continued. "Is it money that you are looking for? Name your price."

"THAT'S ENOUGH KLAHADORE!" screamed Kaya in fury. "APOLOGIZE TO USOPP AT ONCE!"

"There is no need to apologize to this uncivilized person," Klahadore said with a shrug turning back to look at Kaya for a moment. "I'm just telling the truth."

This guy was really starting piss me off. I knew that I couldn't take him in a fight, but I wished that I could. No one should say such disgraceful things about another; especially right to their face. If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. Another of my mother's lines that she preached.

Klahadore then turned back to Usopp and continued with, "I feel sorry for you, you hate your father, don't you? Because he is a dumb 'treasure hunter pirate' who deserted his village and family."

"KLAHADORE!" screamed Kaya at the same time I let a snarl out, directing it at the butler.

I had just realized that he was a cat and I was a dog. We were natural enemies figuratively speaking.

"I WON'T LET YOU SAY ANOTHER BAD WORD ABOUT MY FATHER!" yelled Usopp, his fists clenched.

"Why are you so angry?" he asked. "You're not very smart are you? You should have just told your usual lies and say that father is traveling merchant… Or that you and him are not blood related…"

Usopp finally snapped and with a scream of, "SHUT UP!"

He threw a punch that Chuck Norris would be proud of and caught Klahadore right across the face, throwing the butler to ground. Kaya just gasped in horror, raising her hand to her mouth in shock. Luffy was frowning for once, Zoro nonchalant and Nami uncertain.

The little veggies cried out, "Captain!"

Klahadore clutched the cheek that had been hit and taunted, "Uh…grh, see you're so violent! Like father, like son!"

"Shut up!" Usopp yelled again. "I'M PROUD THAT MY DAD WAS A PIRATE! I'M PROUD THAT HE WAS A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA! YOU'RE RIGHT THAT I LIKE TO LIE! BUT I'M PROUD OF HAVING A PIRATE'S BLOOD IN ME! I DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND THAT I'M NOT! I AM THE SON OF A PIRATE!"

By the end of Usopp's screaming rant he was left hunched over, and my ears were ringing, having dog hearing is not a good thing when people shout. But good for Usopp, he had every right to be proud! I let several barks rings out in support to Usopp with an impish grin on my mug.

"Oh yeah! That guy!" Luffy said, suddenly remembering something. "Now I remember!"

But it appeared no one but me had heard Luffy.

"Captain…" muttered the trio of veggies.

"You said pirates are 'brave warriors of the sea'?" Klahadore asked from his position on the ground. "Don't twist the truth. It's because you have that savage kind of bloodline that you like to lie so much, and use violence whenever you are enraged. I believe that you only get close to Kaya for the money." He then pushed himself up of the ground.

"What the hell are you talking about!" Exclaimed Usopp.

"Who cares what your motive is! The fact that your father is a pirate is more than enough reason for me to kick you out!" Klahadore said, resorting to yelling.

Usopp lunged forward, grabbing the front of the butler's uniform and pulling his fist back as if he was ready to punch Klahadore again. "I dare you to say that again!" he threatened.

"Usopp! Please stop!" Cried Kaya desperately. "Please don't use violence! Klahadore… Isn't a…bad person." she sobbed as she brought her hand up to cover her eyes. "He's just concerned out me. That's why he's a little extreme."

Klahadore slapped Usopp's grip away from the front of his shirt hissing, "Get the hell out of here! Savages like you are not welcome here! I'll let you off this time, but I warn you….don't come here again!"

Kaya looked beside herself as Usopp muttered, "Fine… I understand… I'll leave without you telling me to!" He turned around and began to walk away. "And I'll never come back!"

"You bastard! Captain is not that kind of person!" screamed the veggie with the red cap.

"Yeah, stupid!" the pepper veggie joined in.

"Baaaka!" cried the onion veggie.

"Baaaaka!" I heard a familiar voice join in with the kids. I shouldn't have been surprised at Luffy, but I was.

"Why are you screaming with them?" hissed Zoro as he hit Luffy over the back of the head.

Nami grabbed the three veggies as they went to charge at the butler and Zoro grabbed Luffy, and together they dragged them away kicking and screaming.

I had been silent through the last bit of that fight. I couldn't believe Klahadore. I remember that he was a nasty piece of work for the anime, but I never knew he was that bad. I heard the voices of my friends disappear as they walked away, but I didn't even turn my head to watch them walk away. I kept my livid gaze on the butler as I slowly plonked my ass down on the grass.

I then proceeded to dig my nails into the dirt as I let out a low growl at Klahadore who had now looked down at me. '_Try and get rid of me, I dare you,_' I hissed mentally.

I knew he couldn't hear me, but I knew that my body movement was enough to issue my challenge. When I had said ages ago that I was stubborn, a trait I now shared with my breed, I wasn't kidding nor was I exaggerating. If someone rudely demanded or told me to do something, and if I didn't like them or didn't know them I would not do what they asked, told, or demanded. And since I had such a burning hatred for him at the moment I was going to be a real idiot and issue my challenge. Plus this guy just plain pissed me off so it's time to pay him back a bit.

I saw him narrow his eyes at me as he said, "Get out of here dog."

A flick of my eyes was all it took for me to confirm that Kaya was no longer watching and had closed her windows. And so Klahadore and I had a little glaring contest, waiting to see who would give in first.

I saw him take a step forward after a few moments and said, "Shoo! Get out of here!"

He didn't yell, but I heard how pointed his words and the threats that lurked bellow his smooth tone.

I didn't move of course, but I did peel back my lips and snarl at him, my teeth being my threat. The air between us was thicker with tension then I thought possible. But still, neither of us gave in. I think I was seeing Klahadore the pirate standing in front of me at that moment, not Klahadore the butler.

I saw irritation flash through his eyes, but he kept his face placid, and I saw his leg tense up as if ready to kick me. I didn't flinch though or give any indication that anything he was doing or going to do was unsettling me. I kept my own body perfectly lax, although my steel blue eyes were filled with tell-tale storms.

He hesitated for a second but turned around with a hiss and proceeded to stalk back to the house, leaving me sitting on my lawn by myself.

'_Fuck yeah!_' I cheered. '_I do believe I just won that round cat._'

I waited for a minute to be sure he was gone before I stood up with my head held high in an aloof and proud position; my ego firmly inflated. I then turned around and trotted out of the mansion ground using my nose to follow the trail of scent my friends had left behind as they left.


	7. Liar, Liar

I was slowly padding my along a dirt path, my head still held high after the encounter with the stupid cat butler. I was following the scent of my friends, in no hurry to get back. I knew there would be a big fight soon, tomorrow if memory served me correctly, and this time I wasn't going to sit around in a boat. If I was going to hang around Luffy and the crew I needed to pull my own weight. I was going to help with the fighting and nothing would stop me. Although that didn't mean I wasn't scared. In fact I was terrified. I could die, painfully. I could get hurt, which wouldn't be a pleasant experience. But my friends would be getting hurt anyway. They were doing it for what they believed in, and the fact they wanted to help the villagers and Usopp. So why shouldn't I help as well. A little fear is healthy, at least I will be careful whilst I am fighting. I refuse to let fear cripple me.

'_Oh my, this train is thought is getting to corny for my own good_,' I thought as I pulled myself out of my ramblings.

I cast my eyes back to the road that I was following until something caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I turned my head and stumbled, missing a step due to the surprise at what I saw. There was a person in a dark blue cloak; everything about the person was covered so I couldn't see any features of the person under the cloak. I froze and continued to look at the figure that was leaning lazily against a tree. The head under the cloak moved and I felt chills run down my spine as whoever it was turned their eyes to me. The air was tense with surprise and uncertainty. I didn't remember a guy in a cloak being on the butler's pirate crew. But then again, I couldn't see under the cloak; it could be anyone. But something didn't _feel_ right about this person. They _felt _different. Not like the people we were getting used of dealing with. This person had power for sure.

The awkwardness between us continued until a sharp cry of a bird overhead broke my concentration. The sudden sharp sound shocked me, causing my eyes to flick up momentarily, and in the time it took me to look up and then down again the figure was gone. Not a single trace left; no sounds, no smells, nothing!

That was way too creepy for my liking so I took off at a faster trot from the place I had paused, using a lot of self-will not to bolt away.

'_Who the hell was that?_' I thought. '_I hope to God I don't have to fight him tomorrow_.'

* * *

><p>I finally caught sight of some of my friends, my jaws still pressed tight together in nervousness from the earlier encounter. Zoro was leaning against a fence, his three katana by his side. Nami was next to him, sitting on the top of the fence, and the three veggies were talking with a strange man. Stranger danger alert. The stranger pulled something resembling a round blade on a string out of his pocket and then it finally clicked who that character was. He was the hypnotist Jango – in other words the creepy guy that walks backwards. The Michael Jackson impersonator.<p>

I lengthened my stride so I was loping at an even pace towards my friends, my head tilted to the side curiously as Jango began to swing the round blade back and forth with the three veggies watching it intently. When I had just about reached them, the hypnotist called out _"Jango!"_ and then he and the three veggies fell the ground asleep. Although something must have backfired because Jango fell to the ground with them.

"Hey! What the hell is he doing?" snapped Zoro as I bolted the rest of the way, making a beeline to the veggies, worried about their safety. A quick glance over confirmed that they were all asleep and I began to gently nudge the pepper looking veggie kid's cheek to see if I could wake him up again.

"Hey… Where has the dog been?" I heard Nami asked Zoro in the background.

I didn't hear Zoro's reply because the three kids started to wake up slowly and I heard Jango groan and put his hand on his head. I sent a low growl in his direction as he got up muttering, "Damn, I didn't mean to knock myself out too. Ah well, it's time I go anyway," and without further ado he walked off down the road.

…Freak…

* * *

><p>The little veggies were now fully awake and I hoped they had learnt something about talking to strangers, especially ones as creepy as Jango. I heard something in the distance, the sound of feet sprinting down the road, causing me to turn my head and narrow my eyes at the dot in the distance. Another downfall of being a dog, we didn't have very good sight for things far away. Sight was a dog's weakest sense.<p>

"Hey… That's?"asked Zoro.

"Ah! It's the captain!" cried the trio in simultaneously. I didn't know how they managed to say the same thing at the same time, it was kind of creepy really.

"Wasn't Luffy with him?" asked Zoro, although he didn't seem that worried about Luffy.

"Is he still mad at the butler for looking down on his dad?" questioned Nami as she jumped down from her perch on top of the fence.

"Who knows," shrugged Zoro.

"No! His expression is different!" cried the carrot.

"Something must have happened at the shore!" yelled the pepper looking kid.

"He's panicking, what happened?" asked the onion. You had to give the kids credit, they were sharp and observant when they needed to be.

Zoro got a weird look on his face before asking, "Hey kids, do you know how to get to the shore?"

"I think something big has happened!" exclaimed the carrot veggie.

"Right! That hypnotist went that way too a little while ago," said another, crossing over his arms.

Damn, they _were_ sharp for kids.

"Usopp's pirate group is moving!" proclaimed the onion.

"Are you guys done?" asked Zoro as he quirked an eyebrow. "How do I get there?"

* * *

><p>"Oh… My God!" exclaimed the carrot.<p>

"They're going to kill Kaya?" the pepper asked incredulously.

"The village is going to be attacked! Is that true Straw Hat!"

I internally flinched, the poor kids. Even if this was really just a story, it _was _real to me now. It felt like the real world, and these kids were too young to worrying about this stuff.

"Yep. That's what the guy said, there's no doubt about it," confirmed Luffy from his place sitting on the ground, his arms and legs crossed.

We were at the bottom of the cliff that Luffy had fallen off of, I only remembered what had happened to him after we found him sleeping at the base of the cliff. The moron got himself hypnotized. I was sitting by Nami's leg at this stage; I couldn't be bothered getting involved in this conversation. Besides, it's not like I could talk, so I might as well sit back with Nami and watch.

"Oh yeah, why were you sleeping over there anyway?" Zoro asked Luffy, after all we had found him asleep with his head in the ground. Well that's what it looked like to everyone anyway, I knew better.

Luffy just tilted his head to the side whilst contemplating it, "Hm... I remember I was on the cliff..."

I heard the little veggie trio chattering amongst themselves and Nami noted, "So that's why your captain ran into the village in such a hurry to warn them." She and Zoro turned around, ready to walk off and she called over her shoulder. "Well that's good, you guys are the first people to know. You should escape while you can! It'll be too late when the pirates get here!"

"Yeah! We should run away!" cried the carrot. They were only kids after all, it's no wonder that they'd want to run when they found out that their village was going to be attacked.

"Yes! Pack up our important stuff," Pepper agreed.

"My allowance, and snacks, and my model ship..." Onion listed off.

They all bolted then, calling out behind them, "Gotta hurry!"

I watched them leave with a frown, my tail not wagging for once.

"Oh no!" Luffy cried out so suddenly that I jumped.

"What now?" Sighed Zoro.

"We haven't brought our meat yet! Even the butchers will run away," Luffy said like it was the end of the world, and I sighed and turned around and began to follow after the kids.

Normally I would find what Luffy said funny, but what was happening, and about to happen, had my fur standing on end, and I was in no mood to appreciate Luffy's joke. In fact, it sort of pissed me off.

* * *

><p>"Oi! Captain Usopp!" cried the pepper-headed kid as we spotted Usopp on the road in front of us.<p>

I scowled as I saw him wipe his eyes, before pasting a happy expression on his face.

"Hey! Hi everybody!" His eyes widened as he saw Luffy though. "EH! How can you still be alive?"

"Still alive? I just woke up," said Luffy in a confused manner. I felt the tangy smell of blood slide past my nose and it was coming from Usopp. He got shot at didn't he? I remember that much.

"He was asleep the whole time," said the pepper veggie. "Captain! We heard about the pirates! We have to warn everyone!"

"Warn everyone….?" stuttered Usopp before he broke out into laughter. "Whahahaha! What pirates!"

"Just like all the other times, it was just a lie! I was having revenge on that butler by making up stories of him being a pirate!" Usopp lied to the kids.

"What! It was just a lie!" Pepper cried.

"Man! I thought something big was going to happen!" Carrot laughed with relief.

"Even Straw Hat lied to us!" Onion complained.

"A captain shouldn't make up lies just because of that. That's not honorable!" said the purple haired kid, or the carrot.

"Yeah, I feel the same way," came from the pepper.

"Me too..." muttered the onion. "No matter how mean that butler is… Captain, I never though you would make up lies to hurt others!"

The three veggies then turned their back on Usopp muttering about what was from dinner. My head had been lowered the whole time Usopp was talking, but now that he was done I walked up to him. I rubbed my head against his leg in a comforting way, before lifting up my head and gently licking his injured arm. He just looked down at me, closed his eyes with a sigh and walked off with the others back to the cliff, with me trailing behind.

* * *

><p>Usopp sat in front of Luffy, Nami, and Zoro with his legs crossed. I was sitting beside Luffy, my eyes flicking up to stare at the stars in the sky whilst Usopp was explaining to the others about what happened at the village. My thoughts were mixed with so much turmoil that I was just trying to block everything out and concentrate on the beauty of the stars. But like all the other times I have been deep in thought, I was pulled out by someone yelling.<p>

"SINCE EVERYONE THINKS I AM LIAR, I'LL PROTECT THIS VILLAGE MYSELF AND PREVENT THE PIRATES FROM ATTACKING! IN ORDER TO PROTECT MY VILLAGE, THIS WILL BECOME JUST ONE OF MY LIES!" Usopp yelled, standing up with his fist in the air.

"Although they fired guns at me, and chased me with me brooms in this village I grew up in…" he muttered, gripping his wounded arm. "I love this village, I want to protect everyone. How can I just watch as everyone dies!"

Zoro just '_tch'ed_' and said, "You are a pretty good guy. You lied to your crew so you could do this alone..."

"Okay!" cried Luffy, rolling up his sleeves in the universal sign of getting ready to fight. "I'm definitely going to butt into this one!"

I barked twice at Luffy's announcement, eager to help Usopp as well.

Nami just chirped, "But first thing first, all their treasure is mine!"

"What?" Usopp sobbed. "You guys are willing to fight with me! Why…?"

"Because the enemies outnumber you!" exclaimed Luffy.

"You have the words '_I'm scared_' written all over your face," Zoro teased.

"Idiots! Me? Scared? So what if they outnumber me! They can't compete with me! I'm captain Usopp! In my veins flows the blood of a courageous warrior!" I smirked in a wolfish way that only a dog can in reply to Usopp newfound courage. "Ah..." Usopp muttered as his legs started shaking. "Stop shaking!" He hissed at his legs, bringing his fists down to hit his legs. He looked up and saw us watching him and quickly snapped. "What are you guys looking at! They're Captain Kuro's Fleet, of course I'm scared! I don't need your sympathy now, go away!"

Zoro just snorted rudely and said, "We're not sympathizing with you! But rather, we are commending you for having courage."

I couldn't have agreed more with the swordsman.

"Why else would we risk our own life?" Luffy challenged.

"You... Guys..." murmured Usopp as he tried to hold back his sobs. "I'm so touched!"

We then got down to battle plans a Usopp explained some stuff to us, after all this is his home territory, he would be the best one to conferrer with.

"They are going to attack from this shore because this is the only way into the village. There is only one other slope, the rest is cliffs. This means so long as we guard this slope with our lives the village won't be harmed," he explained. The battle plan was well put together, I'll admit.

"Sounds easy," smirked Luffy, if only it was that easy though…

"Easier said than done…" Usopp muttered seeming to think like I did. "What are you guys good at?"

"Stealing!" came from Nami.

"Stretching," from Luffy.

"Cutting," from Zoro.

"Woof!" from none other than myself.

"Hiding," said Usopp as he turned around.

"You have to fight as well!" screamed the other three.

With a sigh Usopp turned back around, and this time his eyes landed on me causing me to cock my head to the side, questioning him with a soft whine.

"Can that dog really fight?" Usopp asked looking skeptical.

Could I fight? Oh that's just insulting. Of course I couldn't! I didn't have years of practice at a dojo like Zoro. I wasn't trained by that monster Garp like Luffy. I didn't even have to spend years defending myself like Nami. Hell, I didn't even play 'pirates' like Usopp. I've never taken any self-defense classes or anything of the sort. The closest to fighting I've come is watching it on TV and in cartoons. But the question that should have been asked was, would I fight? Of course I'd fight! How could I not when everyone else was risking their lives. I was going to do what I could, even if it killed me, which hopefully it wouldn't.

"Hmm..." Luffy said, seeming to consider what Usopp had said.

"I've seen her take on a wolf and a few marines," Zoro spoke up. "But she lost in both those fights."

I let out a soft growl at him mentioning that; he didn't have to word it like that! But he was right… I needed to get my head in the game, didn't I?

"I know! Why don't we ask her!" Oh Luffy, you're just too cute. No one else would suggest asking a dog but you.

I saw all their eyes turn my way and I puffed out my chest, holding my head as high as it would go. I then let out several different toned barks and yips, as if I was trying to speak.

Luffy just laughed at me and said, "I don't know what that meant but I'm pretty sure she wants to fight with us!"

I let out another bark to confirm his thoughts. I then decided to be cheeky, and lifted up my head, pointing my muzzle to the sky and letting out a long howl that echoed in the forests around us, and reached over the seas. It was challenge to the cats. If they wanted a fight, this dog was going to work against them.

I saw Usopp flip out as I howled, exclaiming, "Do you want the whole village to come down here! Shush!"

I just lowered the tone of my howl before letting it drop off completely, quirking a dog eyebrow at him.

He sighed in relief and Luffy continued to grin like an idiot.

Then Nami interrupted the silence with a question, "So is she part of your pirate crew?"

"Of course," Replied Luffy without missing a beat.

My heart missed a beat though, and I froze… I was their actual nakama? I wasn't just some pet or tag along? Luffy considered me part of his crew? Up until then I had just considered myself a tag-along as I thought I was only going for the sake of the story; that I was there just to watch this story play out… But I was their nakama? I couldn't seem to wrap my head around it. I hadn't even done anything to be worthy of being their nakama! At least not as far as I knew.

After my few second flip out, I swung around and launched myself at my captain. My front paws hit his chest with a '_thump_', causing us to both topple to the ground as he let out a yelp of surprise. I then lunged at his face with my tongue, licking his cheeks, nose and anything else I could reach as his laughter rang in my ears. This was a dogs natural way to express happiness, and submission to higher power too while I was at it. And since I couldn't thank him verbally or hug him this is how my body choose to react in a case of extreme emotion. Although at this time I didn't mind my dog body that much. It had its ups too, even if it took some getting used to, I think I was finally starting to like it.

Anyway, after I'd finally calmed down enough to climb off Luffy and plant my ass back on the ground, my tail wagging full out, Usopp asked a another question about me while Luffy wiped the drool off his face. What was this, 20 questions with a dog?

"What's her name then? None of you have ever told me."

Nami blinked as she turned to Zoro and Luffy and said, "You know, you've never told me her name either."

"Beats me," said Zoro with a shrug. "She was just a stray from the island I met Luffy on, I think. I've never heard anyone call her anything."

Nami gave Zoro and Luffy a deadpan look and asked, "What have you been calling her all this time then?"

"Dog," said Luffy, blinking.

"Mutt," put in Zoro, not really caring what anyone thought.

"Idiots!" hissed Nami. "She needs a name, you can't just calling her Dog and Mutt forever!"

"Why don't we name her then?" asked Usopp, seemingly glad to finally have a better conversation then the impending pirate attack.

"Good idea!" exclaimed Nami… Oh gods, help me!

"I don't see why we can't just keep calling her dog and mutt," muttered Zoro, but he was ignored.

"What about Kiba?" suggested Usopp. I growled at the suggestion of his name.

'_Oh please! Surely you can do better than that?_' I mentally hissed.

Kiba is a common name for dogs and wolves because it meant fang. I didn't want a common name; I had always been an individual and I wanted my name to reflect that.

"Seems like she doesn't like that name," Hummed Nami. "How about Fluffy then, I've noticed her fur is really plush and soft."

My jaw almost hit the floor when she said that. I knew her suggestion would be bad, but I didn't think it'd be that bad! A growl was my reply to her and she sighed.

"Why don't we wait till tomorrow to see how she fights before we name her?" Luffy suggested.

I was once again shocked into silence by my captain. That was one of the most sensible things that I had heard come out of his mouth in a long time. I knew thaw kid could be smart when he wanted… But damn!

"Sounds good!" chirped Nami and the matter was settled for now.


	8. Cat Fights

"Okay, we're done!" declared Usopp as we looked down the slope where the pathway had been covered with oil to stop the pirate's getting up it. "We've sprayed a massive amount of oil so those bastards won't be able to get up this slope. This the most effective way to battle them. No matter what, we must guard this slope with our lives!" Usopp was getting really serious about this.

"Just don't fall down there yourself," Nami stated the obvious. "Or else you're screwed!"

"Don't worry!" Usopp boasted "I have a lot of confidence in myself! The sun is up. The pirate's will be here soon…"

We all stood at the top of the slope, looking down and waiting for the pirates appearance. They should be getting there any second now...

"Where are they? It's already morning!" Luffy sulked, kicking the dirt.

The pirates had still yet to show. Did I forgot something else in the story line, or had the story someone changed? Something was nagging me that I'd just forgotten an important part though.

"You don't suppose they slept in do you?" questioned Zoro.

My ears flickered from their place atop of my skull as I heard a roaring cry comprised of many voices from somewhere else on the island. A sick feeling sunk into the bottom of my stomach. What had I forgotten now!

"Am I just overly sensitive? I can here "Go!" from the north direction," murmured Nami, her hand cupping her ear to try and hear better.

Usopp went really pale and said, "The north!"

"I'm positive," Nami said, both hands up to her ears now. She wasn't the only one hearing it though. I heard it too.

"What's going on!" yelled Zoro, losing his cool.

Usopp clasped his head in his hands, "There's another entrance into the village in the north…but..."

"Don't tell me you got it wrong!" shouted Luffy.

"They talked about the plan here so I thought they'd attack from here!" Usopp defended himself.

"Hurry! Which way are they going to attack the village from?" demanded Luffy.

I was getting antsy by now, shifting my weight between all four of my paws. I thought I was going to be sick from nerves, but the facts that we might have got it wrong, and that I could have done something more if I'd remembered, weren't helping my nauseous feeling. What a time for me to mess up.

"Going that way would only take 3 minutes! The landscape on that side is the same as this side! All we have to do is prevent them from coming onto the top of the slope!" Usopp said, forming a plan.

"Oh no!" squealed Nami. "That's where we docked our ship! My treasure is going to be stolen!"

"I only need 20 seconds to get there!" shouted Luffy as he took off running, not waiting for the rest of us.

"Damn, the oil trap I made is useless!" moaned Usopp.

I went to start running and only got a few paces before I stopped, hearing a commotion behind me.

"Help, I'm slipping!" screamed Nami as her foot slipped in the oil trap.

I watched as she latched onto Zoro's shirt and he demanded, "Ah! Let go you idiot!"

But it was too late, Nami had used Zoro to get herself out of the oil, and took off running leaving Zoro behind stuck in the oil.

"Sorry!" was all she called over her shoulder. "My treasure in in danger!"

I watched as Nami took off and I hesitated; not sure whether I should help Zoro out, or go to the fight and leave Zoro to fend for himself.

"I'm going to kill Nami!" I heard Zoro scream.

I quickly made up my mind then. Everyone would be much better off if I spared a few minutes of mine to help Zoro. After all, I did forget that this going to happen so I had to make up for it somehow. How do I always manage to forget the major parts in the timeline?

I needed something like rope to help him… If I threw it down I could pull him through the oil… But there was no rope around anywhere! I didn't have enough time to go back to the village and get some either. Maybe there was some vines I could use in the forest.

With that thought in my head I spun around and bolted into the forest, ignoring Zoro's cry of, "Arg! Not you too, Mutt!"

I guess he thought I was abandoning him. Oh ye of little faith, ay?

I ran around blindly in the forest for a few minutes, looking for vines of any sort, and wouldn't it just be my luck that there was no around. There was not anything resembling a vine around that I could see! What now!

I wasn't about to give in the easy so I made a plan B, use a really long stick that would reach over the oil. It might not be as flexible as rope, but if I do it right it should work.

I spent a few more minutes looking for a long branch lying on the ground and found nothing of the sort. Every second that passed I grew more and more nervous. I should be helping! What if they think I ran? Or that I was too scared to fight…

'_Damn it to hell!_' I swore. In the end I thought_, 'Fuck it. If mother nature wants to be a greedy bitch and keep all the good shit that I need to herself, then I'll just have to find another way to get it.'_

My eyes snapped straight up to branches that were over my head as soon as that thought came into my head. Of course! If I couldn't find one on the ground I could get one straight from the source, a tree. I spotted the perfect branch; it was bare of twigs and seemed to be straight and long enough for what I needed it for.

The only problem I could see was that it was _really_ high up; higher than I thought I could jump. I didn't have time to contemplate it though, I need that stick and I needed it now. I ran at the tree, launching myself up into the air, jaws first as I tried to clamp my jaws around it. I missed by about a rulers length though, damn! I tried it once more and got the same results. If I was in a human I would be resolved to tears of frustration by now. I need a plan B for plan B's execution.

'_Hmm..._' I hummed. '_It works in anime…so why not here…?_'

My eyes flicked to a tree that was lined up perfectly to the branch I wanted, and a smirk slipped on my muzzle. This had to work, it just had to!

I lined myself up at the right angle and took off running straight at the trunk of the tree within my sight, my tail streaming out behind me like a banner. I jumped just in front of the tree, not slowing down at all and aimed for the middle of the trunk. My front paws hit the tree first and I pushed off of it, throwing my head back, my back legs came in contact with it second and I used the momentum I got from that push off to throw myself up in the sky. My back was facing down to the ground, my stomach showing itself to the sky and I was sailing through the air straight towards the branch. My jaws wrapped themselves around the tree, my body momentum bringing me up and over the branch as I swung around it just like the gymnasts do on their bars. I felt my teeth splinter a few bits of bark as they clung onto the branch through the spinning motion, ignoring the pain as those splinters dug themselves into my gums. I heard the branch snap as my weight jerked down on it, the branch and myself falling straight to the ground in a heap. I jumped straight back up having no time to celebrate my victory, instead I gathered up one end of the branch in my mouth and began dragging it back to the slope.

The whole fiasco of trying to find something to help Zoro took mere minutes, but it felt like hours. I finally got back to the slope and saw Zoro laying at the bottom of the oil, covered in it from failed attempts to get to the top. His eyes widened when he saw me and at what I had in my mouth; disbelief written across his whole face.

'_Didn't think a dog could be that smart did you?_'

I re-adjusted my grip on the branch so I only had the tip in one side in my mouth, and I lowered the other end through the oil. It came just short of reaching all the way down for Zoro, but I saw him smirk. He then lunged for the end; his hands clamping onto the branch. His sudden weight to the end of the branch caused the instinctual reaction of my jaw closing tighter so that I could keep a grip on the branch, but it caused me to stumbled a few steps forward, my toes stopping as the edge of the oil licked them. I looked at Zoro, his wide eyes staring at my own; that was too close for comfort.

One thing the oil did help with though is lubricating the surface so it was a lot easier to pull Zoro up. In fact, it would have been the easiest part of this whole rescue escapade. Once he had gotten to the top and scrambled to his feet, brushing as much of the oil off his body as he could, he turned to me, a smirk on his face. I had dropped that cursed branch that had caused me so much trouble and I cocked my head to the side at his expression. He just reached forward, placing his hand on top of my head, and then roughly ruffled the fur there in an appreciative pat saying, "Thanks, I'm sorry for yelling at you before. Now, it's time to help the others!"

* * *

><p>I was running in between Zoro and Luffy, we had met up with Luffy whilst we were making our way to the slope, apparently he had got lost… Surprise, surprise. I thought that was Zoro's job to get lost at every turn.<p>

What met my eyes as we reached the slope wasn't that much of a surprise to me, I remember bits and pieces of the fight itself. I knew Usopp got hit over the head, Zoro fought two kitty cats and Luffy got hypnotized. Again.

We were meet with a cry of "CHARGE!" as the pirates ran past Nami and Usopp, heading towards the top of the slope, it appeared that they had fail to notice Zoro, Luffy, and myself yet though.

I saw Luffy and Zoro share a glance over the top of my head, before they both got in attacking positions. We were meeting the charge head on?

By this point any nervousness I had before had totally gone, the blood was jumping through my head to the point I could head each of the heartbeats ringing within my ears. I felt weak in the legs and they were shaking, but this time I wasn't scared. It was the adrenaline kicking in, and the excitement. I was ready to fight!

I bolted ahead of the guys, heading for one person that I had line up in my sights. I saw his eyes widen my as he noticed me too late. To him I must have just looked like a flying ball of orange fur, but before he could stop me, I had pounced. My body acted on natural instinct again and I charged full speed into the man, aiming the top of my skull straight for his crotch. Hey! You can't blame me for that, it was a heat of the moment thing. Back in the real world women have it just about drilled in their brains that if they are in a fight with guys that they need to aim for the balls, that's men's weak spot. So my body had acted without me really comprehending it.

I had managed to take down the man as the others around me flew back from Luffy and Zoro's attacks. The man crumpled to the ground in front of me, with a girlish squeal that would have made an opera queen proud. Before he could move again then I had jumped on top of him, my front paws pinning his shoulder to the ground, I then stuck my muzzle in his face and began to snarl. It was a real snarl this time, not one of my warning ones I had used before. My tongue was flicking in and out of my mouth, all of my teeth bared in a feral way. I watched as a line of slobber slipped over the edge of my gums, dropping onto his cheek. If the man hadn't been pale from the hit to crotch he sure as hell was now because he began to whimper.

"What took you guys so long!" I heard Nami huff, her staff over her shoulder.

"What's going on Captain Jango!" the pirates in front of us cried. "We didn't know they had these kind of people in the village!"

"What took us so long?" Zoro hissed between his teeth.

"How should I know!" demanded Luffy. "I just want to kick some ass!"

"Nami!" roared Zoro. "How dare you kick me!"

"Usopp you idiot! You didn't even tell me which way north was!" Luffy joined in with Zoro's yelling.

"I… I didn't know you guys were this strong..." muttered Usopp in shock.

"Of course," said Luffy without blinking.

I snapped my jaws at the man's nose, my front teeth grazing the skin of his nose, but not breaking the surface of his skin. I heard one last whimper from the man before he fainted, leaving me blinking in shock… That was easier than expected.

"You're late," Nami said again. "What took you so long?"

"It was you who made me fall down! And now you're blaming me!" yelled Zoro.

"I couldn't help it!" Nami said in her own defense. "Better one person fall down than both of us!"

"Then you should have been the one to fall!" he yelled back.

"You bastard! You told me north, you didn't tell me which way was north!" Luffy said.

They didn't give up did they? We were standing in front of a heap of pirates baying for our blood and they were arguing. I just stepped off the man that had fainted, my eyes flicking between the faces of my arguing friends.

"It was your own fault for running so fast!" Usopp snapped.

"I was trying to help you!" countered Luffy.

He watched as some of the pirates Zoro and Luffy had knocked down started to get up again.

"Ah! They're still alive!" exclaimed Luffy. "They're pretty tough."

"Listen, we don't have time here!" Jango said to his pirates. "Since the opponent is strong, we must be stronger."

Jango then pulled out his pendulum and said., "Come look at my pendulum! After I say 1, 2, Jango you will be stronger. Your wounds will heal and you will be much stronger than before."

"What's that guy doing?" muttered Luffy, squinting his eyes as he watched what Jango was doing.

"I don't know," shrugged Usopp.

"It must be hypnotism! He's trying to make them think they're stronger!" exclaimed Nami. "This is absurd!"

Zoro and I just stayed silent as we watched what was happening.

"One…"

I started to fidget on my feet.

"Two.."

I tensed my muscles, ready for anything. I didn't remember this fight very well, but I know those guys got a lot stronger. Didn't Luffy or Zoro take them down though? And I knew Luffy was about to get hypnotized as well, this should be fun. Note the sarcasm.

"Jango!" Suddenly all the pirates were roaring, their weapons held up. They weren't the same as before, his trick really did work… I knew it would but still…

"No way!" yelped Nami. "They were still shaking a minute ago!"

One if the pirates let out a cry and slammed his fist into the cliff. I watched with wide eyes as the whole cliff broke apart and fell down. That's not something a normal human can do! I sure as hell was not used to seeing stuff like that; it was scary to watch. I'd better make a note not to let any of the pirates hit me.

"He crushed the cliff!" shouted Zoro, obviously as put out by that display of sudden power as I was. "How did they gain so much power in such a short time!"

"They really have been hypnotized!" yelled Nami.

"If one guy can crush a cliff... Then all those guys…" Usopp started shaking.

"Go!" yelled Jango, pointing towards us. "Go kill those pests!"

With another battle cry the pirates charged up the slope right towards us, they looked like monsters!

"You two, hurry and go up the slope!" snapped Zoro, and Nami started to help Usopp up the slope. "We'll take care of this." Zoro drew his sword. "Hey! Luffy." I was watching Luffy at this time, not the pirates. If I was correct our captain was more dangerous than the pirates at the moment, even if he would never purposely hurt us. Getting no reply Zoro cast Luffy a weird look, "Luffy!"

Our captain suddenly threw his arms up in the air yelling, "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"YOU GOT HYPNOTIZED TOO!" screamed the other three.

"He's not your average idiot..." muttered Nami as I started to shift away from my captain over to Zoro. I didn't want to be in his way when he started his attack.

"Got hypnotized so easily…" said Usopp is disbelief.

The pirates and Luffy were still screaming their battles cries as they charged at each other, our captain ignoring Zoro's calls of, "Hey! Luffy!"

"Gomu Gomu no…..GATLING GUN!" yelled Luffy as he threw out multiple punches towards the pirates.

Most of the pirates where thrown back from Luffy's attack and those who weren't took off running from Luffy as he charged at them. Luffy just ran past them, blindly ignoring them as they dived out of the way. Luffy ran straight at the pirate's ship, grasping the bow of the ship. Everyone watched on in shock, myself included.

"Go Luffy!" I heard Nami cheering from the background.

"WAH!" cried one pirate. "He's taking the bow off, he's destroying our ship!"

With one almighty crack Luffy tore the bow of the ship straight off, holding the gigantic length of wood in his arms.

The only thought that I could process was, '_Gosh damn, I wish I could of done that while I was trying to help Zoro…_'

Luffy then tuned his glare at the pirate's that were watching him in awe, and they began screaming, "Captain, help us! He's trying to kill us."

"I'll say 1, 2, Jango and you will fall asleep!" Jango shouted at Luffy, his pendulum in his hands.

"One…" Luffy was swinging the bow at the pirates like a giant bat.

"Two…" It was getting closer…

"JANGO!" Luffy froze at this, his eyes rolling back in his head as his eyes flicked closed. He then fell backwards will the bow landing on top of him, but he still managed to take out a few of the pirates that didn't get out of the road in time. I flinched, I knew Luffy would live, but that still had to hurt…

"Damn kid..." hissed Jango. "Ruined our whole plan… If captain Kuro sees this he'll kill everybody!"

"I think they're finished now," sighed Nami is relief from her place now sitting onto the ground.

"Hey... His head is squished under the bow," said Usopp from his spot next to Nami.

"Don't worry, he won't die from that," snorted Zoro. "First worry about yourself, you're bleeding."

I was still standing beside Zoro at this point, my eyes flickering over the fallen pirates for anyone that would be a threat. It looked like they were all too tired to fight now though, or too injured.

"Hey Buchi! Come look! Our ships head is wrecked!" I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand up when I heard that voice.

Sudden flashes of memory snapped through my brain. I saw two people, one fat and one skinny. They each had parts resembling a cat, and then I saw them both fighting Zoro. Of course, these were the twins where they not? I really hated the fact I only remember bits and pieces of information, it was starting to piss me off. Why did I have to see this anime so long ago!

"What! Wrecked! How did that happen?" I heard a voice a reply.

"Oh, that voice..." snorted one of the pirates who was still conscious. "That's the ships guards, the Nyaban brothers."

"Looks like there is still something on the ship," stated Zoro.

"Oh yeah…we still have '_those two_'," Jango smirked.

"What's going to come out now?" hissed Zoro as he got into a fighting position. He wasn't the only one. I was tensing up as well, my lips pulling back in a snarl.

"Heh… Heh… You'll all die," said another of the barley conscious pirates.

"COME DOWN NYABAN BROTHERS!" cried Jango.

I saw two figures jump from the from the front of the ship, the ones that I had remember, the big and small _cats_. The ones who tried to fight Zoro.

They landed behind Jango as he said, "Hello Nyaban brothers.."

The only thing that crossed my mind when I saw them was a hissed, '_Cats.._'.

"You called for us Captain?" asked Skinny

"What's up?" asked the fat one.

"Who're they!" exclaimed Nami.

"Wow, jumping from so high… They're like real cats," Usopp murmured.

Zoro and I just stayed silent, our eyes on the new threats, sizing them up.

"Buchi, Sham, we couldn't pass through the slope because those guys are blocking the way, go and destroy them," said Jango as he jerked a thumb in our direction.

"What! How can we! We can't beat them!" exclaimed Sham, shaking his hands in front of him.

It shocked me. I was getting ready to be Zoro's back-up in this fight, but they didn't want to fight? That wasn't right… I swear I remember Zoro fighting them...

"Yeah, those guys look really strong!" said Buchi.

"What's going on? Aren't they strong?" questioned Usopp in confusion.

"I don't know..." murmured Zoro.

"They both seem scared," Nami said whilst sweatdropping.

"We're just the ships watchmen," shrugged Sham.

"Yea, we don't want to participate in these kinds of battles," inputted Buchi.

"SHAM! NOW!" Jango screamed.

"Eh! Why me!" exclaimed the cat in question

"GO!" Was his only reply.

"Okay, I'm going!" he snapped with tears in his eyes.

"What's going on? Why are they making those cowards fight?" asked Nami. it was something I was also confused about too.

If they were meant to fight Zoro shouldn't they be strong?

"Prepare to die!" screamed Sham are as he stumble in a clumsy run up the hill. "My claws are really sharp!"

"What can you do with those claws?" Zoro hissed, gritting his teeth. "If you don't stop now I'll attack you!"

I decided I should take a few steps back from Zoro, he could handle the pussy cat couldn't he? He wouldn't want me interrupting his fight, so I'll just watch over Nami and Usopp whilst watching his back.

I froze after taking about 7 steps back, the skinny cat got a really weird look on his face as he hissed in a totally different manner than before, "Only you? You can't kill me."

Zoro's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "What!" Zoro only just brought up his sword in time to block skinny's claws. "You…"

"You must be thinking I am a coward," purred Sham. "I was only pretending to be a coward, if I didn't, you wouldn't have let your guard down."

"So he was just acting scared!" yelled Usopp.

"Zoro!" screamed Nami. "Your Katanas!"

"Eh!" he said reaching down to his waist which was devoid of his other two swords. "Where did they go?"

"Looks like you might have a few skills, but you underestimated me, Sham of the Nyaban brothers!" purred the skinny cat in a slimy voice. "What, are you missing something? I don't know where they went."

My eyes widen as I saw Zoro's two missing swords strapped to the skinny cat's back. When did he get a chance to do that!

"There it is," smiled Jango.

"Cat burglar," said Buchi.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Nami, "That guy took Zoro's Katanas!"

"Give me back my katanas!" demanded Zoro.

"Give them back?" questioned the cat. "Isn't your katana in your hand?"

"Oh right, before the battle starts I should get this junk out of the way," said Sham as he threw Zoro's katana behind him on the ground.

I flinched at the pissed look on Zoro's face; he was damn scary when really pissed off. But he needed those Katana to be able to fight to his best… I should make myself useful and got and get them for him, but Zoro beat me and tried to attempt it himself.

"Okay," hissed the cat as he licked his claw. "That's better now."

"Don't treat other Katana with disrespect!" shouted Zoro as he charged at Sham, his one Katana drawn back. He sliced through Sham' s side and kept running straight towards his Katana. He began to reach one hand out towards them saying, "Damn it, how could he treat my katana like this!"

"Did you actually cut me just now?" hissed skinny as he jumped onto Zoro's back, clutching onto both of Zoro's arms. "Too bad I have a very thin waist."

"What!" Zoro snapped.

"That guy, he's actually very thin!" yelled Usopp. No shit dude.

"Go Buchi, it's your turn now!" yelled Sham.

Like hell! Two against one isn't fair! I'll respect Zoro and let him fight one on one matches by himself; after all his pride wouldn't allow him to let anyone else help. But if they were going to bring fatty into this too I was going to help. Two against is fair isn't it. I bolted straight for Zoro and that cat on his back, my paws barely touching the ground as I ran.

"Okay, got it Sham," I heard Buchi say as he started running towards Zoro as well. Zoro fell forward into the dirt, Sham still on his back.

"Cat Technique!" Buchi yelled as he jumped into the air. I knew almost automatically what he was thinking. "CAT-A-PULT..."

"LOOK OUT!" screamed Nami from the background.

"CAT-ASTROPHE!" I heard Buchi yell and several things happened instantaneously.

First, I threw myself straight at the skinny cat holding Zoro down, my shoulder connecting with his side causing him to let go of Zoro and go tumbling off, sending me with him. Second, Zoro, as soon as he was released rolled out of the way just as Buchi's foot connected with the ground right where Zoro's head had been mere moments ago. Third, the force of Buchi's attack cracked the ground and threw Zoro, Sham, and myself back even further.

"Damn!" I heard Sham hiss as I rolled away from him.

Somehow he and Zoro had both managed to get their feet back under them before they had stopped rolling. I, on the other hand, was a rolling ball of orange and white full until my back meet the slope's wall, knocking the breath out of me. I laid there for a few moments, getting my bearings back, and I then carefully hauled myself back to my feet. No permanent damage was done from my meeting with the slope's wall, but I would be sore tomorrow.

"What was that!" I heard Buchi exclaim.

"Sorry, sorry," purred Sham. "Something hit me and I let go."

I then felt both of the cats eyes turn to me, my steel blue eyes meeting their probing gazes. I peeled my lips back in a feral snarl, my tongue flicking out in-between my teeth as my ears dropped back against my skull. I really hated cats at the moment.

"It's a dog," I heard Buchi state.

"I guess we'll just have to take care of it too," Sham shrugged. They then both turned their attention back to Zoro. "This time I won't let him escape."

"Of course," replied Buchi.

"I'm not used to fighting with one katana, but I guess I have no choice," said Zoro.

"Let's do it Buchi!"

"Give it to him Sham!"

"NEKO-YANAGI DAIKOSHIN!" they yelled in unison, throwing themselves at Zoro, scratching out with their claws. Zoro gritted his teeth as he blocked all their strikes.

I began to creep up behind the Nyaban brothers, I didn't want to charge in again and alert them to my presence; more likely than not they'd turn around and skewer me with their claws. I saw Zoro's attention flicker to something and I turned my attention there too, my eyes widening as I saw Usopp shot something towards the Nyaban brothers. Zoro quickly moved so that whatever Usopp had shot hit him on the back of the shoulder.

"He's distracted!" they both cried, and the both jumped forward ready to scratch him across the chest.

Damn, he was in trouble again! I didn't have time to think, I just acted, this time throwing myself at Zoro to knock him out of the way. I saw his eyes widen as they meet mine and sudden I let out a screaming yelp as I felt something tear through the skin on my shoulder and the skin across my ribs.

"Dog!" I heard Zoro exclaim as I was thrown against the ground, my eyes squeezed close in pain. "You idiot! You too Usopp! Do you both want to die!"

'_No!_' I snapped mentally. '_I don't! And that's why I am fighting! Our best hope of survival at this rate is you! And if you're injured, we'd be in a lot of shit!_'

I knew he couldn't hear me but it made me feel better. I snapped open my eyes as a shadow loomed over my form, blocking out the sun light. Above me was skinny, his claws out and heading straight for me.

'_Fuck,_' I sighed mentally.

I rolled away from where he swiped, flinching as my wounds were pushed in the dirt. I then heaved myself clumsily to my feet, throwing myself to the left to ovoid another swipe. Next I threw myself to right. Bugger, this guy was fast as hell! I needed to keep out of his range. I had nothing to block his swipes with. I had a few options. One was dodging a swipe and biting him somewhere, and risk myself injury whilst being close to him. Second is to make my way to the bottom of the slope and steal a weapon off of one of the pirate, I could then try to imitate Zoro and hold it in my mouth whilst blocking attacks. Eh, I think not. Third, I could slowly make my way over to the cliff wall, get his claws stuck in the stone and attack while he was stuck?

I was then forced to jump away again a he nicked the top of my left ear with his claws. I saw Nami jump onto the slope and start running down towards the ship. What the hell was she doing! The momentary loss of concentration cost me though as the cat caught me with his claws again, only a light scratch this time, but on the left side of my muzzle.

I heard Nami cry out in pain and I flinched. Shit she had gotten hurt, damn! Jump to the left, jump the right, back, left, duck, forward, back, left, back. I was constantly throwing myself out of the way of the claws, faster than my brain could process. My body reacted before my brain had processed it. I also knew that I was moving faster then I should be if I was in the_ real_ world. But this was a story right, so I could move faster here then normally possible and it wouldn't matter.

Suddenly the cat in front of me flicked his eyes up to look at something, loosing concentration for a second, I didn't let this opportunity pass me by. I went on the offensive this time, throwing my shoulder into Sham's stomach, causing him to stumble back, I didn't even pause for a second before my jaw was wrapping around his arm in a loud crunch as the bones entrapped in my jaw broke from the pressure. I heard him cry out in pain as I threw myself away from him, blood now dripping down his arm. He hissed and sliced at me once more but I dodged and danced backwards a bit, and he didn't follow me, his eyes were back on something again.

"Ah!... I… Can… Ex-explain!" I heard Jango stutter.

I backed up even further from the cat, turning around to see Klahadore standing at the top of the looking _pissed_. Oh damn…

* * *

><p>"Cat-a-Pult Cat-astrophe" is not the Japanese name, I know. It's actually "Cat the Funjyatta" (meaning "The Cat Stomp"). In Viz and Funimation it's "Cat-a-Pult Cat-astrophe".<p>

Cat-Astrophe: "Grand March of the Pussywillows".


	9. Captain Kuro

My ears twitched as I heard people muttering about Captain Kuro and being done for. That couldn't be good if his own crew was saying that.

"It has been pretty long since dawn, I was wondering why the plan wasn't carried out," said Klahadore, or should I say Captain Kuro because this man was different from the butler. It was the man from my staring contest. And he was much more pissed than last time. To prove my point he screamed, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!" He then collected himself as he carried calmly, but with a sneer in his voice. "I didn't expect you to be held up by these kids, the Black Cat Pirates have been reduced to a truly pitiful state. Isn't that right Jango!"

"But… But… That day you said we could let the kid go… Cause he didn't affect out plans!" defended Jango.

"Yes, I did say that. So what! He still cannot affect our plans, I expected that he would come after us. I didn't expect your uselessness. I don't want anymore excuses!" Kuro snapped darkly.

"You said we're useless…" said Sham front in front of me, his broken arm clutched by his working arm.

"Don't look down on us Captain Kuro," Buchi hissed.

"What are you trying to say?" Kuro asked with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Jango attempted to shut the damn cats up. A futile attempt if I ever saw one.

"That was three years ago Captain Kuro! You've been pampering yourself in this village! But we've never stopped our attacking," continued Sham.

"We've attacked many villages and sank a lot of ships!" Buchi boasted.

My wounds were starting to itch more as I stood still, the pain coming back as my mind had time to concentrate on the pain. I turned my eyes back to my side just quickly and saw that orange fur was matted and stained with patches of red blood. The wounds were not fully visible though because of my thick fur. The side of my muzzle also tickled, so I allowed my tongue to flick out the side, and wipe away as much of the blood there as I could. If I could hazard a guess, I was guessing that the cuts were only into the fatty tissue of my skin, not all the way through to the bones or intestines. Which meant that I would be alright for a little while before I bled to death, but it would still be damn painful.

My head snapped back around as Sham yelled, "We won't allow ourselves to be killed for a stupid reason like a 'failed plan'!"

"You've been inactive for three years! Do you still think you can beat us, the Nyaban brothers!" Screamed Buchi.

"You're no longer our captain!" The yelled, both charging at him at the same time. I saw Sham shift his injured arm out in front of him, as if ready to use it, but I didn't miss the flash of pain that crossed his face as he did so. "Instead of being killed by you silently, we might as well kill you first!"

They both jumped forward at the same time, slashing where Kuro had been standing before. All they slashed was the bag that Kuro had been carrying.

He appeared behind the brothers, his weapons that were long blades on each of his fingers, showing. "Who did you say you were going to kill?" he hissed.

"When did he get behind them…" Usopp said in befuddlement.

"Ah! It's the 'Nuki Ashi'," called out one of Kuro's pirates.

"What a weird looking weapon," Zoro said, his teeth clenched together. Now that they Nyaban brothers weren't close enough to attack me I slipped forward, plodding clumsily and with a limp on one side, up to Zoro.

"He's behind us?" hissed Sham, both of the brothers spinning around to try and see Kuro, but he had already gone by the time they had turned around.

"He disappeared…" gasped Buchi, both of them looking startled.

Kuro suddenly appeared behind then, slinging his arms over both the brothers' shoulders and sighed, "You're right. I don't feel to active." He then flexed both of his thumbs upwards, so the long blades attached to them were resting against the brothers' necks. The Nyaban brothers had gone deathly pale, and were shaking by now, apparently they didn't think through their plan very well. "You're also right that I am no longer your Captain. I am only the client in this plan. A client who will kill if this plan fails!"

I narrowed my eyes at Kuro, he was so… heartless. He thought people's lives were worth nothing but to further his own cause. What a pig. My ears flicked back as Jango began to explain about Kuro's moves, and how he moved without making a sound. I ignored it though, I'd learnt better then to allow myself to be distracted in a fight.

Kuro dug his blades into the two brother's neck, drawing a line of blood. "After three quiet years it's seem I have become more generous. I'll give you five minutes, if you can't settle this in five minutes…No one will escape my wrath! I'll kill all of you!"

I heard Zoro grit his teeth from his position beside me, putting his sword in a position which he could fight with it. He was ready to fight again, so I'd better get ready too. I spread all four of my legs out, getting my balance so that I could move in any direction with less than a seconds notice, and I began to growl softly. Here we go again.

"Damn it!" cursed Usopp. "We actually let this guy stay in our village for three years!"

"Five minutes?" stuttered Jango. "With five minutes we can settle this! Him! We can finish him off! And that dog! We can get up the slope!"

"That's it! They were no match for us just now!" declared Buchi.

"No problem! We can beat him in five seconds!" hissed Sham.

It was as I thought. When they were battling us before Kuro arrived it wasn't to their full ability. I knew it had been too easy for me when I went against Sham. He probably could take me down in less than five seconds. What could I do now!

"ZORO!" I heard Nami scream, my eyes flickering momentarily to her. I watched as she kicked Zoro's two katanas up in air and towards Zoro. "Your katanas!"

"Stupid girl!" he snapped. "How dare you kick my katanas!"

She just smirked and said, "So how are you going to repay me?"

He caught them, turning around to face the cats again.

"Ah, thanks," he thanked her. His eyes then quickly flicked down to my as he said. "Dog, get out of here. I can handle them now, you'll just be in way. Go help Nami."

I saw the reasoning behind his request; he was right. With all three swords he would be able to take down the cats easy. Nami was in trouble though, not only did she just openly defy the pirates we were going up against; she acted against them and she was surrounded by them. She was also standing right near Jango, who was a very dangerous person in his own respect. I was of more use helping Nami.

I barked one soft bark at Zoro in reply, before spinning on my heels and taking off towards Nami at a run, ignoring Buchi as he called out, "Stop dreaming! Even with three swords you are still no match for us!"

I could hear them charge at Zoro, as he got in position with his three katana.

"You don't know the difference between 'using three swords' and 'using three swords style'," he informed the cats.

I heard Zoro call out Tora Gari from behind me, and then I heard the cries of the Nyaban brothers. I'm guessing he managed to get them then. They had underestimated him this time. Things were looking up for us now, I hope.

"With only one slash the Nyaban brothers are defeated..." I heard a pirate call in awe.

"Within five minutes I'll kill all of you… No exceptions!" stated Zoro.

I stumbled a step and paused, turning back to stare at Zoro wide eyes. Was he really thinking of challenging Kuro? I knew he was strong, but I wasn't sure if Zoro could take him down too…

'_Damn! __Luffy! __Wake __up!_' I begged mentally. '_We __need__ you!_'

"Let's see you try it," challenged Kuro.

I heard muffled sounds of pain from behind me, my head spinning around again to watch as Buchi pushed himself up again hissing. "That… Guy… I... Will... KILL HIM! Cap... Captain Jango! Hypnotize me!"

My eyes widen as Jango began to hypnotize him, and I took off running again. I shouldn't have bloody stopped to watch Zoro! Zoro could handle himself! Now I was too far away to stop Jango! Damn it!

Buchi threw his arms with a cry, his muscles bulging with power.

'_No!__ NO!__ NO!_' I screamed mentally.

He was bad enough before, but now he was hypnotized, he could kill us easily now. He would at least put up a good fight against Zoro. But Zoro had Kuro to deal with, he didn't need to deal with this too! Plus Nami was too close to Buchi for comforts sake! Buchi needed to be stopped, and I was the closest to him.

'_Fuck __this,__ I__ must__ be__ suicidal __after __all_,' I sighed mentally as I kept up my charge at Buchi.

I saw Nami running towards the ship, heading straight for Luffy. Thank God someone had enough brains to wake Luffy up, we needed him about now. I saw Jango throw his round blade behind him towards Nami but I completely ignored it, instead concentrating in my self-imposed mission. Buchi had noticed me when I was almost on top of him, swinging his claws to try and get me. I feinted to the right, my eyes widening in shock as his claws hit the ground, the whole ground around the area splintered, even the ground under my paws. I knew it was too late to back out now, and in the distanced I heard someone screaming,

"NAMI! WATCH OUT!" I recognized Zoro's voice.

I couldn't let anything distract me so I ignored it, jumping at Buchi, using the only weapons I knew how to use at the moment, my fangs. My fangs were ready to sink into any piece of flesh I could wrap my jowls around, but Buchi moved much faster than I ever remember him being able to. I saw his hand coming towards me but it was too late, I was already in mid jump. I didn't even have time to close my eyes as a fist swatted at me, smashing into my side, his claws cutting up more of my flesh. The pain was immense as the force of the blow connected with my earlier wounds, the force of the hit sent my flying back through the air. I was suspended in the air for a few moments before I felt my back connect with a hard rock wall, pushing the air straight out of my lungs so I couldn't even yelp. The pain also blocked out my other senses of hearing and sight, the only thing I could feel was the pain.

'_That__ was__ stupid,_' I thought as everything went black. I didn't even feel my body fall to the ground.

* * *

><p>"... HURTS!" I heard a muffled voice yell causing my senses to snap back into life. My eyes shot open, black blots covering my vision. It took a few seconds for my vision to clear fully, and I was sure that I couldn't have been out for too long because everyone was still in much the same positions as before. I lifted up my head slowly as pain shot through my body again. I saw Luffy standing up now. He was finally awake. Thank the gods.<p>

I rolled over onto my stomach, shakily tying to lift myself back up to all four legs. I froze half way up as agonizing pain shot through my body, causing me to whimper. '_Damn__ it! __Is __this __all__ I__ can __do!__ Am __I __really__ that __pathetic!_' I snapped at myself. I then gritted my teeth and shoved myself all the way back up, freezing as a new wave of pain shot over my body. As soon as the pain lessened off I released my tense muscles, my eyes darting around to try and figure out what was happening now.

"In three more minutes all of you will dead." I heard Kuro state. I mustn't have been out anymore than a few seconds then.

"Buchi! We don't have any more time! You go and kill the guy with the stomach band!" ordered Jango. "I'll deal with the straw hat kid."

"KLAHADORE!" I heard a feminine voice scream. "STOP THIS!"

Everyone was shocked into silence as Kaya stood on top of the slope, behind Kuro.

"Kaya! Why are you here!" yelled Usopp.

"Oh! Isn't that Kaya of the mansion?" Jango exclaimed. "She's the target of the mission!"

I heard several pirates exclaim about killing Kaya now, but I was too tired to bother with growling at them. Instead I just stayed silent, watching Kaya like everyone else.

"You surprised me Kaya," muttered Kuro. "What are you doing here?"

"Merry told me everything," she stated quietly.

"Oh. He didn't die?" asked Kuro emotionlessly. "I didn't show any mercy to him."

Kaya turned her head to Usopp and said, "I'm really sorry Usopp. Maybe you can't forgive me so easily, but I can't believe that Klahadore is a pirate."

"Never mind that!" snapped Usopp. "Why are you here! Didn't I tell you to run away! These pirates are after your life!"

"Aren't you fighting as well!" Kaya screamed back at him. "We treated you so badly... and yet here you are fighting even with those wounds."

"We are different! I'm… I'm a brave warrior-" Usopp started to say but Kaya cut him off.

"Klahadore! If you want my money I will give it all to you! Please leave the village!" she begged.

"You got it wrong Kaya, it's not money I'm after..I also want peace of mind. I spent three years here to gain the villagers trust. I feel at peace here. Only when I have obtained peace and money will my plans be complete..." Kuro stated. "That's why having my crew attack the village, and making you leave a will at your death is essential."

"Kaya! Run! Don't bother negotiating with him!" Usopp yelled at Kaya. "He is no longer the butler you knew."

Kaya ignored Usopp and pulled a pistol out of coat, aiming it Kuro much to a lot of people's shock. "Leave this village!" she demanded.

"So…you've become stronger in these years," Kuro purred. "Do you still remember? A lot has happened in these past three years. Since your parents passed away, we've been together for quite some time. We took boat rides together, went to town together. When you were down with a fever I always stayed by you to take care of you. We shared our troubles and our joys. I served you tirelessly. I suffered taking care of this nosy little Kaya. I suffered waiting long enough. All this is so, I can kill you today!" Kaya had tears streaming down her face at this point, the gun in her grasp shaking. But Kuro continued with his speech. "I was a captain in the past, and I had to serve such a young, naïve little girl obsequiously, deliberately to make her like me. Can you understand how demanding my days have been?"

Kaya dropped the gun from her shaking hands, bringing her hands up to her face in distress.

"ARGHH!" screamed Usopp as he suddenly launched himself at Kuro, arm pulled back in readiness to punch him.

"Usopp, now that I think about it..." Kuro said, dodging Usopp's punch effortlessly. "I still haven't thanked you for that punch you gave me last time. You hit me really hard."

Suddenly Kuro was socked straight across the face by a stretchy arm, smashing him into the ground with brutal force.

"If you really hate being hit, I must make sure to hit you a few hundred more times," Luffy said, a smirk plastered in his face.

"What happened!" cried one of the Black Cat pirates. "How did he knock Captain Kuro down from that position!"

Luffy just cracked his knuckles, glaring at Kuro now.

"Captain Kuro is really pissed now!" cried another of the pirates. "What do we do?"

"Here's our chance!" yelled a young voice and suddenly all three of the veggies appeared, slamming a pot, a baseball bat and shovel down on top of Kuro's head.

"How did you all…" murmured Usopp.

"You can't be here!" yelled Kaya.

The sudden appearance of the three veggies snapped me out of my pain filled staring haze. I had been zoning out, just watching what was going on emotionlessly, but those kids shouldn't be here! Kuro would kill them!

"Hit him! Hit him! Hit him!" yelled the onion as they continued to bring the weapons down on Kuro's head.

"You damn pirate trying to disrupt the peace of our village!" cried the pepper.

"Die bastard!" screamed carrot.

"Wah! What are those kids trying to do!" called the pirates.

"Stop it, all of you! Stop it!" Usopp yelled in panic

"Okay, we'll have mercy on him," stated carrot. "Our captain was really fighting..."

"Why didn't you tell us?" screamed the pepper. "That's disloyal!"

"Wrong!" cried the onion. "It should be dishonest!"

"It doesn't matter if it's dishonest or disloyal!" yelled Usopp in panic. "RUN AWAY!"

"We won't leave you Captain!" carrot snarled, his pan at the ready.

"Yeah! We wanna fight too!" snapped pepper, holding his bat out in front of him.

"If we run, we'll ruin the reputation of the Usopp pirate group!" onion cried, his shovel also held out in front of him.

They froze though when Kuro stood up behind then, pushing the rims of his shattered glasses back up his nose. I saw the fear and shock on the kids' faces and took a few limping steps forward, being slightly unsteady on my feet from standing so long in one spot.

"WAH!" they all screamed, falling on their asses in the dirt.

"Idiots! Run!" yelled Usopp.

I still stumbled on forward even after he just walked past the kids. I just gritted my teeth, the pain getting easier to bear the more I pushed on. Kuro then walked straight up to Usopp, kicking him roughly in the stomach which sent him tumbling part way down the slope.

"I'm curious," Kuro called to Luffy. "That was quiet an odd attack you just used. Looks like you possess the power of devil's fruit."

"Yep!" confirmed Luffy. "I ate the Gomu Gomu fruit and I've become a rubber man!"

"What that guy ate the Devil's Fruit?" yelled one pirate.

"This is bad!" exclaimed another. "They really do exist."

"So, Rubber-man, then the stretched arm wasn't an illusion," muttered Jango. "But he can still stand up after getting hit in the head with my blade. Incredible!"

I went to trot past Zoro and I notice his eyes widening as he saw me. I must have looked like more of a mess then I thought. I didn't manage to pass him though because I paused at his side when I heard Kuro call, "Jango! I will take care of kid! You take care of Kaya, and make her write her will, then... Kill her! And also those three puny ants that are annoying me."

"Got it," said Jango.

"Stop!" demanded Zoro, holding out his sword to block the way of anyone who wanted to get up the slope. I growled softly at his side, my eyes on Jango also. No way in hell was I going to let him kill the kids or Kaya. "I won't let you get through me." His eyes then flickered down to me. "Dog, get out of here. You are in no shape to fight."

I was tempted to growl at him, but I didn't. He had a damn good point. I wouldn't be any good at one on one fights at the moment. But I wasn't going to give up completely, I was going to protect Kaya and the veggies as best I could for now. So I just slipped past Zoro and continued up the slope, picking up the pace a bit.

"Buchi!" Jango demanded and the hypnotised cat answered with a battle cry.

"Cat-a-pult," I heard Buchi cry out behind me. "CAT-ASTROPHE"

I turned my eyes back in time to see Buchi landed on the ground with a flying kick, the ground shattering under the impact of his attack. But the destruction went a lot further this time than it did last time. The ground under mine and Usopp's feet shattered as well and some of the slope walls caved in. I managed to keep my balance, but only just. Having four legs on the ground at one time was handier than just two.

"Idiot. He can't control his own power," Kuro muttered.

I heard more sounds of battle behind me, but I ignored it and headed up the slope. I slipped past Kuro by staying close to the walls, but I saw his eyes flicker my ways as I trotted past him. He let me go past though, apparently he didn't see me as that big of a threat. But then again I wouldn't see myself as a threat either right now in the state I was.

I trotted straight over to the three veggies, spinning around in time to see Jango walking up to Kuro. Damn it, when did he get past?

"Usopp pirate group!" I heard Usopp yell at the veggies.

"I told.. you… we wouldn't run!" snapped the carrot, but he was stuttering as he did so.

"Captain! You're badly injured! We can't just run away" countered the pepper.

"We will destroy your enemies!" called onion.

These kids were brave I had to give them that, but very stupid.

"Protect Kaya!" is what Usopp replied with, from his position lying on the ground. "I'm giving you the most important task here. Protect Kaya and get her away from here safety!"

"Yes…YES CAPTAIN!" They answered, running over to Kaya.

"Idiots," chide Jango, twirling two round blades around his fingers. "You can't escape."

I quickly placed myself in front of Jango, so that he couldn't get at the kids as they pulled Kaya away into the forest.

"Where can you run to?" demanded Jango, getting ready to throw his blades.

I tensed up, getting ready for his attack when suddenly he was hit in the back by something, his blades flying off his fingers and he hit the ground.

"Hehe! Serves you right!" exclaimed Usopp, before calling out to me. "Dog! Can you help protect Kaya and the Usopp pirates!"

He didn't need to ask, I was going to anyway. I wasn't much use here, so I let out my bark in reply, before spinning around and trotting off after Kaya and the veggies. I couldn't quiet sprint flat out at this stage, but I could keep up with three kids and one sick woman. But I was finding the dogs bodies ability to deal with pain and injuries amazing. If I was a human I would have been writhering on the ground in pain, but the dogs body managed to keep itself up straight even with the injuries. Don't get me wrong, it was painful and all, but a dogs body could withstand the pain and still function. I was really beginning to like the fact I was a dog now, not a human.

I followed after the kids ran through the forest with Kaya, directing her in which was to go. I trusted the guys to handle things back at the slope.

* * *

><p>"Is the hypnotist still after us?" questioned the pepper after a few minutes of running.<p>

"No, I don't see him, maybe we lost him..." murmured the onion.

"He must be dreaming if he thinks he can catch us in the forest!" smirked carrot.

I was still trotting behind them, my head down in concentration so that I could hear anything coming. My wounds were now just a dull ache as I ran, I was trying to tune out the pain and doing it very well. They were only a couple of scratches and bruises after all of my bitching and moaning.

"Don't worry Kaya! We'll protect you!" the onion declared.

"That's right! In the name of the Usopp pirate group!" confirmed pepper.

"Yes… thank you!" Kaya said, sweat running down her forehead as she ran. I wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.

Suddenly I heard a whooshing sound and the next thing I know all the tress on one side of us had been slide cleanly through the trunks!

I heard the kids yell out in shock, and suddenly Jango called out, "Brats! Where are you! Don't think you can get away!"

Fuck, he was too close for comfort. We all spun around to face the way the voice had come. Most of my wounds had stopped their bleeding by now, thankfully. A few of the deeper ones on my sides were still bleeding just slightly, but my matted fur acted as a bandage.

"He's coming!" yelped the onion.

"What! I thought he was just a hypnotist!" yelled pepper.

"Come on! This way!" urged the carrot, pulling Kaya away from Jango. I followed in my place behind them, my ears flickering around to act as an alarm if Jango got too close.

* * *

><p>Kaya suddenly collapsed onto her knees, gasping down as much air she could get. "I'm sorry…you boys keep going ahead!" she said breathlessly.<p>

"What are you saying? We are here to protect you Kaya!" the carrot yelled at her, all of them refusing to budge. I just wish they'd hurry up and sort it out or Jango would be here soon. "Oh no! She looks really sick guys!"

"Oh no! Hang in there Kaya!" called another of the children.

"We must take her to a doctor!" snapped the carrot in worry.

"Idiot! We are running for our lives right now!" argued pepper.

"But it's dangerous to let her go on!" said the onion. Gods damn it! Could they make up their minds, Jango would be here any second now if we just sat here!

"All then, we'll make a decision as the Usopp Pirate Group!" the pepper declared, about time.

"Okay," the onion said gulping.

"We're going fight!" the carrot exclaimed, his fist clenched.

I heard him seconds before he entered the clearing, and managed to fling myself in front of the boys and Kaya as a shield before Jango came into view.

"There you are!" he shouted at us. The kids screamed out in fear and I began to snarl at the hypnotist, my tail raised in the air with all of my fur standing on end. "Got you, he said smirking. I took a threatening step towards him, bringing up my growling a notch. He looked down at me and sneered. "The filthy mutt is still alive? I thought it was dead by now."

'_Filthy? __It!_' I snarled mentally. '_Fuck __you, __freak!_'

I began to devise a battle plan quickly in my head as I analysed the situation. I was a short range fighter, he was a longer ranger fighter. I need to attack him while his blades were flung away from him, and I need to not get hypnotised by him. And at the same time I need to not let him near Kaya and the kids. Well, this is going to be easy isn't it? Note the sarcasm.

He spun his blades around on his fingers, ready to attack and I tensed my muscles ready to try and dodge them. We stared at each other for a few seconds before he flung his blades but they missed me by miles. At first I was thinking '_what __the __fuck?_' And then I realised they had sailed right past all of us and then swung back around like a boomerang and were heading straight for the kids. Son of a bitch! Could he sink much lower!

I spun around, jumping at the kids. They realised it at about the same time as me and were throwing themselves out of the road already. But the onion wouldn't make it, so I threw myself it him, my teeth snagging into his shirt as I dragged him out of the way without hurting the poor kid. I felt the air whoosh past us as they just missed hitting us by mere millimeters. That was too close for comfort.

The poor kid clutched at the fur on my neck as he tried to steady himself, he was pale as a sheet and I heard Kaya calling to him in the background, his friends joining in with her query.

"WATCH OUT!" they all screamed out once, causing my head to be whipped around to side to see a boot coming straight for it. I meet his boot with open jaws, snapping closed around his appendage, teeth sinking straight through the leather but not far enough in to break skin. He obviously didn't expect me to be able to do that though as he stumble from the sudden stopping of his swing, and I took advantage of that. I flung my weight at his other leg that was keeping his balance, his foot still in my mouth. I managed to knock his other leg out from under him causing him to topple to the ground with a shocked cry. Unfortunately I was knocked down under his feet, my grip on his foot dropping.

I yelped as my wounds were once again knocked into the dirt. Damn, I was going to hurt so bad tomorrow if I survived this. I didn't have time to contemplate my fate though as I shot out from under his feet, stumbling forward in my haste to get up and away from under him. I spun around in time to see the pepper and carrot bring their baseball bat and pan down on top of the back of Jango's head. The onion then slammed down his shovel after them, having obviously gotten over his near death experience from a few seconds ago.

Jango's arm suddenly shot out, grabbing onto the carrot arm's so that he could no longer slam the pan on his head. The other two froze seeing this, and I jumped forward, clamping down with my teeth into Jango's arm around the wrist area. Unfortunately do to the hurry I was in, I didn't build up enough power in my jaws to snap bones, but my teeth still sunk into the skin and drew blood. I got the sort of effect I was after as Jango let go of the kid with a pain filled cry.

'_Oh __yeah,_' I taunted. '_Who's__ the__ filthy__ mutt__ now __you __damn__ cat!_'.

Jango used his other arm to push himself up to his knees, his eyes boring into my own. He then quickly pulled back on his arm trapped in my grip, pulling me forward a bit, his other fist coming down to slam across the back of my head before I had time react.

I yelped and let go of his wrists, jumping back next to the veggies as Jango climbed to his feet with a pissed look on his face.

"You filthy dog! You need to die!" I had to bite back a smirk as he said that. It was funny that I made him loose his cool like that, but then again that was a death threat he just issued.

He gathered up both of his round discs again, flinging them directly at me this time. I saw the veggies dive out of the way and I ducked under the first blade and jumped to the right to avoid the second. I then spun around to watch them coming back at me, throwing myself to the right again and then left to ovoid them once more.

"WATCH OUT!" I heard the kids scream and I spun around just as something smashed into the side of my face, slamming me into the ground, my vision covered in black spots. Apparently while I had turned my back on him he had crept up on me and managed to actually kick me this time. That was a stupid thing of me to do when I turned my back on him.

Before I could get up, his foot slammed down again, but this time his foot impact with my side and slammed straight into my wounds. I yelped loudly, writhing in pain on the ground, but he kept his foot in place grinding it down in my wounds. I yelped again, dirty bastard was cheating!

"Leave her alone!" the pepper cried, swinging his bat at Jango but Jango just caught it in his hands and used the foot that had been holding me to kick the kid away. I tried to climb back to my feet but before I could Jango swung his foot back around and managed to land a hit in exactly the same spot as before. The world tilted as everything turned black yet again, for the second time today.

* * *

><p>I was woken from my haze went starting shaking me, a voice calling out, "Doggie! Hey doggie, wake up!"<p>

'_Fuck,_' I though lazily. '_What __happened__ to __letting__ sleeping__ dogs__ lie, __ay?_'

"Is she okay?" asked another worried voice and suddenly everything that had happened earlier came back to me in a rush, as well as a wave of pain.

My eyes snapped open as I sucked in a deep breathe my vision still blurry. When my sight cleared I saw that the three veggies we leaning over me, looking relieved that I was awake. I noticed that I was lying on my side, and I gently lifted my head up, whining as I felt a hammer slamming into my brain several times. Damn, that stupid hypnotist packed a kick. Talking about the hypnotists I noticed that he was laying spread eagle on the ground and appeared to be knocked out. Thank the gods, it was over. I also noticed that Usopp was here now as well, but I wasn't too worried about what exactly had happened, I was just glad that is was over. The kids, seeing that I was okay, ambled back over to Usopp and Kaya as I rolled over onto my stomach, flinching as the pain hit me again. Damn, I felt like I had been run over by a truck. I then gently laid my head on my paws, zoning out as Usopp spoke to the kids and Kaya about some stuff, I was too lazy to listen right now though.

* * *

><p>"Thank you! It's all thanks to you!" Usopp told Nami, Zoro and Luffy as him and I reach the top of slope. Zoro was leaning against the wall of the slope, Luffy was in a spread eagle potion on the ground with Nami sitting next to him, her legs crossed.<p>

After Usopp had finished talking to Kaya and the kids and had sent them home, he and I walked back to the slope. Well, I'm not sure you could call it walking, we limped all the way back here really. At least I knew I did.

"If it weren't for you guys this village wouldn't have been protected," continued Usopp.

I just walked past him and straight down the hill towards my captain, glad to see that all of them were alright. I knew that they would all live, after all the series had to continue, but sometimes I forgot that in the heat of battle. And I was glad that they weren't hurt_ that_ badly either. I walked down to Luffy, turning around and laid down against his leg, my head dropping lazily on his stomach like a true dog. I was so relieved that it had all worked out.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro said with a smirk on his face. "If you hadn't done anything, I wouldn't have either."

"Same here," stated Luffy.

"It doesn't matter," Nami giggled, holding a bag closer to her chest. "I was able to get their treasure."

"In light of this… There is a decision I have made…" Usopp said.


	10. A Dog's Naming

_Chirp Chirp_

A soft growl made its way out of my throat as the birds continued to call loudly to one another. Couldn't they shut up for two minutes?

After the fight with the Black Cat Pirates everyone had got their injuries treated and it was now the next day. The rest of the crew was inside pigging out again, and I was lying underneath a tree, with my head lazily resting on my paws. My chest had several white bandages wrapped around it which in my opinion looked bloody ridiculous, but it could be worse. At least I was still alive with all my limbs still attached.

My wounds were nothing serious, the cuts would scab over in a few days, and in a week or two they will be just pinks lines. My fur covered the scratches anyway, so you couldn't see them very easily. Other than the few cuts on my muzzle that is, they were a lot more shallow then the ones on my side. They would be fully healed within the week apparently. Other than that I just had some sore muscles and that I could put up with rather easily.

I lifted my head up from my paws when I saw Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Kaya walk out of the shop together, following a road somewhere. I slowly hefted myself up to all four paws, and leisurely padded after them, my tail wagging in indolent motions.

* * *

><p>"Hey..." muttered Zoro although he had a pleased look on his face.<p>

"A caravel!" exclaimed Nami in glee.

"Woah!" said Luffy in awe.

We were all standing in front of a large ship that had the head of a ram. It was a lot bigger than any boat we had been using previously, and Kaya was giving it to us! But then again I did know this, this was the ship the sailed around in most of the time from what I remember.

"I've been waiting for you," Merry stated, his hand sweeping out and gesturing towards the ship. "It's slightly old styled but I designed it myself. It's a caravel and it uses a staysail. The controls are at the back. It's called 'Going-Merry'."

"Can we really take this?" Luffy yelled happily.

"Yes, I insist," confirmed Kaya, a bright smile on her face.

"I will explain the steering system," said Merry, turning his attention to Luffy. "First of all, in order to adjust the yards in relation to the crew garnet.."

"Don't tell him, I'll listen to the explanation," Nami said with a sweatdrop.

"I had everything you would need for a voyage loaded onto the ship," Kaya said.

"Thanks for going through all this trouble!" Luffy smirked.

"WAAAAHH!" a voice yelled out, and we all turned around to see Usopp rolling down the hill with a huge backpack on his back. "Please stop me!"

"Usopp!" yelped Kaya in surprise.

"What's he doing?" Luffy asked. I slipped behind them so that I wouldn't get hit by Usopp hopefully.

"I think we should stop him, if he keeps going like that he'll hit the ship," Stated Zoro.

**BANG**! Luffy and Zoro had just lifted up a foot each, planting it on Usopp's face causing him to stop.

"Thanks…" he whimpered in pain.

"No problem."

Zoro, Luffy, and I turned and headed to the ship as Usopp took off his backpack and went to talk to Kaya for the last time.

Luffy ambled up the rope attached to the side of the ship with no problem, and then next Zoro went to go up. I was standing behind him trying to figure out how I'd get up to the boat. Dogs couldn't exactly climb a rope ladder last time I checked, and I didn't want to aggravate my injuries anymore by attempting to jump onto the ship.

Zoro solved the problem for me as he turned around, picking me up under one of his arms and ignoring my yelp of shock. He was really strong to pick me up with one arm like that as I wasn't a light dog. He then climbed the rope with one arm, carrying me up with him.

Well what do you know, the lug could be considerate of others after all. He dropped me on the ground once we reached the top of the ship, leaving me to explore the new ship by myself.

I stuck my head up after a while as I heard Usopp call out, "Well safe voyage you guys! Hope to see you again somewhere!"

"Why?" questioned Luffy blankly as he rested his head on the rail.

"Huh, why?" Usopp said. "Sheesh, such a cold hearted man. We are both going to be pirates now, so we might meet on the high seas one day."

Laughing mentally to myself, I trotted up to the front of the ship next to Luffy, placing my front feet on the railing of the ship so I could look at Usopp. I ignored the uncomfortable tightening of my bandages as I did, I can't wait to get them off.

"What are you talking about?" sighed Zoro. "Hurry up and get aboard."

"What?" Usopp said, dumbstruck.

"You are already our companion right?" hummed Luffy.

"Wha..." he stuttered looking even more shocked. He quickly recovered though as he ran towards the ship yelling, "I… I'm the captain right?"

"No way!" yelled Luffy. "I'm the captain!"

Oh my, another companion. At least my days won't be boring anymore, not that they ever are when I'm around these people.

* * *

><p>We had set off sailing about an hour ago, everyone was lazing about on the deck somewhere or another, and I was walking around to familiarize myself with everything.<p>

"Hey... Weren't we going to name the dog after the fight?" questioned Nami suddenly.

Hearing her talk about me my head shot up, tilting my head to the side. This again? Let's see what they came up with now.

"Ah!" said Luffy as if suddenly remembering. "We were!"

I looked at Luffy, waiting to hear his suggestion, "Uh…"

Oh gods, he had no idea.

"How about we call her Mamori?" suggested Usopp, a thoughtful look on his face.

I hesitated, that name didn't sound too bad. It's one of the better suggestions that they made. But what did it mean?

As if knowing what I was thinking Usopp said, "It means protector."

"I think it suits her," hummed Nami, turning her eyes to me.

I guess the name wasn't that bad, I could live with it. There was no way that I knew of that I could tell them my _real_ name. I just looked at Usopp, wagged my tail and let out a soft bark.

"She likes it!" called Luffy, obviously happy that I now had a name.

"Of course she does," bragged Usopp. "Every captain needs a loyal pet, so when I become captain she can follow me!"

I just rolled my eyes and ignored him, pondering over my new name. I was now Mamori. Something about it seemed so final. I was no longer Braylie, a 17 year old girl from Earth. I was Mamori, a dog that was part of the Straw Hat Crew. It was like that two of us were completely different in a sense. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be Braylie again…

* * *

><p>"Alright!" yelled our captain. "Our pirate flag is done!"<p>

'_Oh__ dear __lord, __kill __it __with __fire!_' I hissed mentally, pulling my head back in disgust. Our captain apparently was far from an artist, his flag looked ridiculous.

He stood in front of us, holding out his flag and he laughed stating, "Haha, I put a lot of thought into our symbol."

"Calling him artistically challenged would be an understatement…" muttered Usopp, his jaw just about reaching the floor.

"This…this could be some sort of abstract art?" tried Nami.

"A pirate's flag should be a symbol of death, but this flag is… Well… I guess it's quiet terrifying in a sense," Zoro said, at a loss for better words.

"Whaddya think?" Luffy asked, a huge grin on his face. The poor kid had no idea…

"You're beyond terrible!" Usopp stated bluntly. "Leave the drawing to me."

A few minutes later Usopp held up a completely different flag that resembled him. I sighed but couldn't help the impish grin that crossed my muzzle.

"You completely change the symbol!" snapped Zoro and Luffy, hitting Usopp over the back of the head.

Another few minutes later Usopp had painted another pirate flag, but this time using Luffy's design.

"Wow, it's perfect!" exclaimed Nami.

"It doesn't even look remotely like the other one," sighed Zoro.

"That's great! Draw another on a sail too later!" Luffy said.

"Yeah well I've honed my artistic talents by drawing on the walls of people's houses for years. I'm quiet the master artist!" boasted Usopp. Although I wasn't sure if admitting to vandalism was cause for pride.

* * *

><p>"Ah! I'm tired," huffed Usopp, laying spread eagle on the deck of the Going-Merry. Nami was next to him, both of them covered in paint. I was sitting next to Zoro who was leaning against the mast of the ship, also exhausted from painting the symbol on the sails.<p>

**BANG!**

I jumped as a loud noise sounded, my eyes snapping up to my captain. I should of known, he was standing by the cannon, smoke rising from it.

"Hey, what are you doing all of a sudden?" Zoro asked.

"I'm testing out our cannon. It would be a waste not making use of it," Luffy replied. "But I can't get it to fire well."

Usopp jumped to his feet, walking up to join Luffy, "Stand aside my amateur friend."

"Try aiming for that stone!" Luffy demanded.

"Okay!" replied Usopp. He fiddled with the cannon a bit before declaring, "Judging by the distance between here and the target this should about do it!"

**BANG!**

They fired again, and this time the rock in the distance smashed into pieces.

"Holy carp! You did it on your first shot!" Luffy yelled in surprise.

"You're right! I did!" Usopp yelled back, looking just as shocked as Luffy.

Idiots…

"I mean of course I did! I'm an expert when it comes to all thing aiming!" Usopp quickly corrected. "Feel free to bow down before me and address me as 'Captain'."

"I've decided!" Luffy ignored his earlier statement. "You can be our sniper!"

* * *

><p>"Alright, I guess I can settle for that for the time being. But if you ever chicken out on your duties I'll take charge as the ship's captain," Usopp decided, we were all sitting in the kitchen now and talking.<p>

Nami was on one side of the kitchen table bench, Luffy and Usopp siting opposite her. Zoro was leaning up against the wall, one leg laid out on the ground, the other pulled up to his chest. I was laying with my head on the leg that Zoro had stretched out; my body lying across the path of his other leg. My steel blue eyes were open and staring sleepily at others at the table. The longer I had been a dog the more I acted like one. Now, half the stuff I did didn't bother me, but if I had been a human while I had done it, I would have looked like a complete fool and probably died of embarrassment. I was never in the habit of laying my head on a men's legs back on Earth.

"All right, that's fine," Luffy shrugged. "Hey! I just had an idea! There is still one crucial position we need to fill before entering the Grand Line."

"That's right, we do have a fantastic kitchen after all," Nami said with a smile, her head resting on one of her hands. "Of course I could do it so long as I get paid."

"An indispensable crew member for long voyages," Zoro commented.

"You think so too right? Yup, what the ship needs is…" Luffy continued with a bright and goofy smile on his face. "A musician!"

I mentally sighed and laughed at the same time, Luffy was so thick sometimes.

"Are you retarded!"

"And here I thought you were going to say something smart for the first time in your life!"

"Do you have any idea what sailing on the seas is like?"

"B-but a pirate's gotta sing," Luffy whimpered like a kicked puppy.

"COME OUT YOU DAMN PIRATES!" a loud voice called, causing me to rocket to my feet in shock, my eyes darting to the door. "I'M GOING TO SLAUGHTER ALL OF YOU!"

My eyes widened even further when I heard loud bangs from the deck of the ship. It sounded like whoever it was, was smashing things.

Luffy lunged at the door, slamming it open and yelling, "HEY! Just who do you think you are!"

By this time I had walk over to the door, poking my head behind Luffy's legs to see what was going on. This sort of rung a bell, didn't this guy have a partner and didn't they know Zoro?

"Who am I? I should be asking…" The guy then launched himself forward, swinging his sword at Luffy and breaking the railing of the deck as Luffy jumped down. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!"

"How many enemies are there out there?" I heard Zoro asking lazily from behind me, he hadn't even moved.

"Just one I think," replied Nami from the place Usopp and her were looking through a small round window to watch the fight.

"I've killed countless infamous pirates, and yet a nameless face like your…" the guy hissed, charging at Luffy with his sword held high. "DARES TO KILL MY PARTNER!"

"Partner…?" Luffy questioned, jumping up in the air to dodge the swing, he then place his hands either side of the man's head, vaulting over him. "I don't know what you are talking about! Don't…" Luffy started, now on the other side of the man, his hands still gripped onto his head. Luffy then picked him up, flinging him over his shoulder and slamming the poor guy into the wall. "Wreck my ship!"

The poor guy then collapsed onto the ground, Luffy sitting crossed legged not far from him.

"Just what the heck are you shouting about anyway?" Luffy asked.

Zoro walked up to the door and I walked fully out of it, instead of hovering in the door way like I was doing before, so that he could get out.

"Huh?" Zoro asked in shock. "Is that you, Jonny?"

Hey, I was right, he did know this guy.

The guy suddenly launched himself to his feet, spinning around to face Zoro and myself. "ZORO! Is that really you, bro?

"Where's Yosaku, isn't he usually with you?" Zoro asked.

"He's…" the guy began to stutter, although he was obviously upset. "Yosaku is…"

* * *

><p>"Sick!" Several voices exclaimed.<p>

"Yeah… He was fine just a couple of days ago, but all of sudden he turned pale and kept passing out. I don't know what he's come down with!"

Jonny was sitting crossed legged on the deck, his face in the palm of his hand. His partner, who did look _really_ sick, was laying on the deck in front of Jonny. I was starting to feel sorry for the poor guy, his partner looked like shit.

"His teeth have begun to fall out, and his old wounds have reopened!" he continued as I walk forward, standing on the other side of his partner.

I gently placed my nose against his cheek, whining softly at Jonny. I felt bad for the poor guy, you'd have to heartless not to care.

"I just don't know what to do anymore…I was trying to at least get him some rest on top of that rock… But all of a sudden a ship fired a cannon ball at us!"

Usopp and Luffy got a horrified look on their faces as I lifted up my head, my eyes flicking towards them.

"We… We're truly sorry!" they apologized, bowing as they did so.

"It's fine.. what's done is done…" the guy sighed. "'Jonny and Yosaku, we were famous enough to have pirates shaking in their boots at the mere mention of our names from time to time. We lived and worked as bounty hunters together for years! And this is how it's going to end?"

"God! How thick do you think you can get!" shouted Nami.

"What did you just say?" hissed Zoro, turning his head to glare at Nami.

"Lady, I won't let you go free if you dare to make a mockery of my partner's suffering," Jonny growled, getting to his feet, sword in his hand.

"Usopp. Luffy. There are some limes in the kitchen, go squeeze them out and bring it here ASAP," Nami sighed, jerking her thumb towards the kitchen.

I gently lowered my weight backwards to perch lazily on my haunches next to the sick pirate, my brows furrowing. I remembered this bit, didn't he have scurvy?

"Roger!" Yelled Luffy and Usopp, going to the kitchen and doing just that.

Luffy and Usopp then brought it back in a small bucket and gave it to Yosaku. Luffy was straddling the man's waist, tipping the liquid down his throat whilst Usopp was behind Yosaku holding up his head.

"He afflicted with scurvy," Nami stated. "If we are not too late he should recover within a few days."

"Are you telling the truth sis!" Yelped Jonny, his face filled with hope.

"Please don't call me sis," she sighed. "In the past it was practically a death sentences for sailors. It's caused by lack of nutrients found in fruit and vegetables. It was quiet common back then because we didn't have the technology to store fresh fruit and vegetables for long periods of time."

"Wow! You're like a doctor!" declared Luffy.

"Yep, I always knew that girl was special. Usopp's eyes are never wrong," Usopp boasted.

Idiots. They had left me to watch over the guy now they had finished shoving the lime juice down his gullet.

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE SAILING YOU SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW THIS MUCH! GOD, YOUR STUPIDITY WILL BE THE DEATH OF YOU ALL!" Nami finally snapped.

Suddenly the man I was watching over stood up, and began jumping around with his partner.

"Alright! I'm charged up on nutrients and ready for action!" The man had pulled of a "miraculous" recovery.

"Haha! My partner's fine now!" called Jonny.

"Like hell you could recover that fast!" snapped Nami.

"Sorry for the late introductions," Jonny said. "The name's Jonny."

"And I'm Yosaku," continued his friend. "Zoro used to bounty hunt with us in the past. Nice to meet you all."

I was still sitting on the ground, staring wide eyed at the apparently now fine pirate who had thought it would also be a good idea to pull out a cigarette and start smoking as well. Is he really that stupid?

"I don't know how to thank you." Yosaku said. "I thought I'd bit the dust for sure."

"Well, colour me surprised! I never would have expected the famous pirate hunter Zoro to become a pirate himself," Jonny exclaimed. I was still watching his partner with narrowed eyes, waiting for him to keel over any second.

As if on cue, blood suddenly shot from his mouth and he made a choking sound as he fell to the ground.

"Yosaku!" his partner cried.

"JUST SHUT UP AND GET SOME REST ALREADY!" snapped Zoro.

"Let this be a lesson to you," chided Nami, sitting back on the steps.

"These kinds of dangers we'll have to face in long voyages," continued Zoro.

"He would have died for sure if he hadn't come across us," stated Usopp, leaning back against the mast.

Now that Jonny's partner was resting I padded across the deck and slumped to the ground next to Usopp, my head dumping itself on my paws. I wiggled for a second to get my bandages sitting correctly and then tuned back in to the conversation.

"We definitely need someone to think about our diet and see to it that we stay healthy. What we need is chef of the sea," Usopp continued.

"If you think about it, that's one of the most important talents to have when you are out on the sea," Nami hummed, looking thoughtful.

"Alright! I've decided then! Let's look for a sea cook!" Luffy said, his tongue poking out of his mouth in a childish way. "Eating good food is never a bad thing."

"Bro!" called Jonny, holding his arm up like a child in school. That familiar gesture caused me to raise my eyebrows, well the eyebrows a dog had anyway.

"What is it Jonny?" Zoro questioned.

"If you're looking for a cook I know just the place. Of course getting one to join you is another matter altogether. There is a restaurant that floats on the seas and has many chefs there that would be a good chef for your ship."

"A restaurant on the sea?" the crew questioned.

"That's right," Jonny confirmed. "You should be able to reach it from here in 2-3 days. But that place is close to the Grand Line so you have to be careful. Lotta dangerous guys around those parts. Even that 'Hawk-Eyed' man you've been looking for has been seen there."

I didn't miss the look that passed Zoro's face. It looked like a cross between excitement and fear. I recalled only bits and pieces of the whole floating restaurant thing as well. I knew we got Sanji in the end, and that there was a fight with some tough guy. I remember that Zoro got in a fight and just about dies to, and that Nami runs away in the thick of it all. Great. Just what we need, more fun. Isn't sarcasm the best?


	11. Very Bad Aim

"We're here at the restaurant!" I heard Johnny call out and I cracked my eyes open. I had been having a short nap before he had called that out, you can never get much sleep around here with these guys. "Brother Zoro! Brother Luffy! Brother Usopp! Brother Nami!"

I heard Nami grit her teeth and ask, "Why am I brother?"

As we sailed up to the restaurant everyone started to gather at the front of the ship, their faces glowing with excitement. I lazily stood up, shaking out orange and white fur. I had finally gotten the bandages off this morning and it felt great without them; they were way too uncomfortable and restrictive.

I had spent the last few days watching over Yosaku while we recovered from our fight with the Black Cat Pirates. He was an idiot though and didn't understand the concept of resting as he was constantly running around with Johnny. I took it upon myself to nip the back of his legs whenever I thought he was doing too much. Thankfully he seemed to get the idea pretty quick as he stopped to rest whenever I nipped him.

"What do you think, everyone?" Johnny called out.

"What a huge fish!" Luffy called out in reference to the shape of the restaurant.

"Wow!" exclaimed Nami in awe.

"That's so funky!" cried Usopp.

My eyes flickered to the side as another ship pulled up next us, the word 'Marines' written across its sail.

"It's the Marines!" Usopp yelped, his eyes wide.

"When did it…" muttered Luffy, his mouth making an 'O' shape.

"They are not going to attack us now are they?" whispered Usopp.

"Hey! We aren't pirates!" called Johnny as he and Yosaku ducked behind the railing of the ship.

"Ah! Something coming out!" Yosaku said.

Someone on the marine ship was near the railings, looking at us before he called out, "Never seen that pirate flag before. I'm the Lieutenant of the Marine Headquarters known as 'Ironfist Fullbody'. Who's your Captain?"

"I'm Luffy," our own idiot Captain replied with a straight face. "I just finished making our pirate flag the day before yesterday!"

"He said the day before yesterday, haha," laughed Johnny.

"Ahaha! Good one!" Yosaku laughed.

They thought it was a joke, too bad it wasn't.

"And I'm Usopp," Usopp said as he butted in.

Feeling left out so I put my front paw on the railing, lifting up my head so I could see better. I then proceeded to let out several challenging barks at the marines.

"Wait a minute, I think I've seen you two somewhere before," Fullbody said when he spotted Johnny and Yosaku. "You frequent the government offices on some business. If I remember correctly you're small time bounty hunters. Yosaku and Johnny I think your names were. So, you've finally been caught by pirates have you?"

"Hey, Yosaku, I think this bro's sticking it to us," Johnny muttered to his partner.

Yosaku took a drag of his cigarette before exhaling and stating, "Well, we can't just let some guy walk around calling us small time. This ain't gonna net us a single beli, but I think we better teach this kid how to keep his mouth shut."

"You cocky little yuppie!" they both screamed, launching themselves towards him with their weapons at the ready.

Under less than a minute, they were found laying back on deck with their faces a bloody pulp.

"Almost had... Him," they both muttered at the same time.

Well if they were going to get in stupid fights like that, I wasn't going to help them.

"You sure you guys aren't super weak?" Luffy questioned bluntly.

"N-no, it's just that that guy is not too shabby himself," Johnny defended.

"It was a close one..." Yosaku muttered.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Zoro sighed.

"Darling, enough beating up on weaklings, let's get going already," a female voice said from the ship, an arm reaching out of the door to grasp Fullbody's arm.

"Ah, yes, let's do that," he said. "Consider yourself lucky pirates because I am on a break today. I only came here to eat at the restaurant, but consider your lives forfeit when I run into you next and I'm not off duty."

"Huh, what's this Johnny?" Nami asked, kneeling down to pick up some papers that were scattered around Johnny.

"Oh that," he said. "Those are just the bounty posters, sister. It's just another type of business, kill anyone of them and you'll get the bounty reward written on the posters."

I didn't miss the look that crossed Nami's face as she clutched a certain poster tighter.

"Is something the matter?" Johnny asked Nami.

"GUYS! WE'RE IN DEEP SHIT!" Usopp yelled so suddenly that my eyes shot towards him. Did no one here know how to use their proper inside voice all the time? "THAT BASTARD IS AIMING HIS CANNON AT US!"

Oh, maybe that was a good enough reason to raise his voice.

"WHAT!" everyone screamed.

**BANG**

"He fired!" Usopp cried, I had frozen up, looking with wide eyes at the cannon ball coming towards us. There was not much I could have done.

"Leave it to me!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping up onto the railing of the ship. "Gomu Gomu no…FŪSEN!"

Suddenly Luffy's stomach had expanded, much like a balloon, as he blocked the path of the cannonball. It sunk so far into his stomach that I could see it denting the skin through to the other side.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku cried out in shock, their eyes bulging out of the sockets.

"You can have your cannon ball back!" Luffy yelled, and the ball was flung away from the ship as the rubber caused it to bounce back.

We all watched on in shock as the ball went the complete other way, our jaws all hanging open in shock, even my own. It then headed straight towards the floating fish restaurant and it ended up smashing a huge hole through the roof.

"JUST WHO ARE YOU GIVING IT TO, YOU DUMBASS?" yelled Zoro.

Everyone continued to gape as Luffy froze in shock at what he had done. He then slowly fell back, landing on his back on the deck. Wow, just wow, Luffy.

* * *

><p>"Luffy is sure taking his time," Zoro sighed, leaning back against the railing off the ship's front deck.<p>

Nami, Usopp and myself were also sprawled around random places. I was laying on my side, my legs stretched out and my head laying on in the deck. Hey, what can I say? It was nice and warm in the sun.

"You don't think they'll force him to work here for like a month or something do you?" Zoro asked.

"He should just explain to them that it was all the Marine's fault. That idiot is too honest for his own good..." Nami said.

"Hey, let's go and see him!" exclaimed Usopp. "We could get some food while we were at it! Whaddya' say?"

I closed my eyes slowly drifting off to sleep as they got up and went to go see Luffy. If the only major downside of being a dog was the fact that I wasn't allowed in restaurants, than I think I could put up with it. I might as well not bitch about it.

* * *

><p><em>My eyes slowly cracked open and I knew straight away that something wasn't right. Something felt wrong. I saw only white above me and I was confused for moment as I tried to figure out what was going on. Everything seemed jumbled. I slowly sat up and saw that I was in a bed. I looked down and the shape of legs under the sheets, human legs. I froze, my brain coming to a halt.<em>

_'What… How?' I stumbled over my thoughts._

_I pulled the sheet of the bed off of myself and saw that I was in some sort of gown that would be commonly used in a hospital. What shocked me more was the fact I saw human legs poking out from under the gown. I slowly brought my hands in front of my face and saw that they too were human._

_Still my brain refused to comprehend what was going on. Wasn't I a dog on a ship moments ago?_

_Maybe I really was in a hospital? There was only one way to find out. I quietly slipped out of the bed, my feet touching the cold ground. It felt so weird, going from two legs to four and then back to two. I swayed for a moment before I cast my gaze around the room. There was a small bathroom with a toilet, a basin, and shower connected to it from what I could see. In the room there was a plain white bed with white sheets and a brown chest of draws next to the bed._

_I shook my head and slowly padded across the floor and towards the door, reaching out for it with my hands. My hands rested on the cool knob of the door, but when I turned it I found the door locked. So much for that plan..._

_I decided to go see if I was finally back in my own body, so I walked to the small bathroom. I stepped up in front of the mirror, squeezing my eyes closed so I could build up my confidence to look at my reflection._

_It took me a few minutes before I finally worked up the nerve to open my eyes, and once again I was shocked at what I saw._

_I was staring back at myself, but I looked like shit. My pale checks were sunken in and even the freckles that dusted my checks looked pale in comparison to what they used to be. My once flowing curly locks of brown hair was lifeless and springing up everywhere. It looked like it hadn't had a proper wash or brush in ages. The only thing that remained the same was my steel blue eyes, they still looked the same at least._

_I heard the lock to door click and then I heard as the door swung open._

_"Braylie darling, are you there? It's time for your medicine, Hun," a soft female voice asked from the main room._

_I went to open my mouth to reply but suddenly it seemed like I was shoved into the backseat of my mind. I felt detached from my body, like I was looking through a window at what was going on. My body turned around and stumbled out the door with awkward movements. I sure as hell wasn't in control of my body. __I saw that in the main room there was a woman with long blonde hair and an old face. She was dressed in the uniform of a nurse, but somehow it seemed off. It didn't look like the nurses uniform from the main hospitals._

_"There you are, Honey," she cooed as she walked forward, placing down a glass and a small medicine cup full of pills on the bedside table._

_She then walked back over to my body, grasping my elbow and gently pulling me towards the bed. It still felt like an out of body experience; I wasn't in control in of anything. Oh, but it only got worse. __My mouth opened of its own accord and a grunting barking sound came out of my throat followed by a whine. Of course it didn't sound exactly like a dog's because the human vocal cords only have so much pronouncing capabilities, but it still sounded pretty convincing. And I know I sure as hell wasn't the one making the nose._

_She just smiled faintly, although I could see a deep sadness behind her smile as she looked at me. Well, it wasn't me really, it was my body._

_She gently pushed me down onto the bed before picking up the medicine cup and placing it in one off my hands. Using her own hand she closed my hand over the cup and guided it up towards my mouth. With gentle coaxing she got me, well, rather my body, to swallow the pills. She then picked up the glass of water and using the same motions as before she coaxed me to drink the water._

_After I had taken the pills my body opened her, its, mouth and let its tongue hang out as it/I began panting softly. __To say I was disgusted as to what my body was doing was understatement. Why was my body doing this? It's like I got put in the dog and the dog got put into me! ...Oh dear gods, Mother have mercy on me… I think that's exactly what has happened._

_If my guess was correct then that most likely meant I was in a funny farm, thus the locked door. Oh my gods, that must mean my whole family thought I was crazy! My friends and everyone I knew, what do they think? They wouldn't know what happened to me, only that I was now acting like a loony. They have probably disowned me by now…_

_The nurse gathered up the glass and medicine cup and began to walk towards the door. My body jumped up off the bed and began trailing her to the door. She paused at the door and turned to me saying, "Stay."_

_My body did just that and didn't move, it only just tilted it's head to side._

_"Good night, Braylie," the nurse said quietly before slipping out the door and locking it behind her._

_I felt a strong sense of sadness wash over my body, and my body brought its head back and began a long mournful howl._

_"Arrrooooooooooooo-"_

* * *

><p>My awareness of what was going on slowly came back to me, the ship was rocking and I could hear the wind hitting the sail which meant we were sailing. Wait… What? It was quiet, way too quiet. If we were sailing, where was everyone? Normally I couldn't manage a five minute nap on this ship without something waking me up, and yet I'd woken up naturally this time.<p>

I cracked my eyes open, lifting my head up so I could stare at the sky. It was still daytime… So it's not like everyone could be asleep…

Oh… Shit… Zoro and Usopp went to help Luffy when that huge ship came. I had hopped up onto the roof of the main cabin so I could get a good view of what was going on because I was not allowed on the ship because I was a dog... I must have fallen asleep… Shit! Shit! Shit!

Suddenly what happened in the dream… No, the nightmare, came back to me. What the hell was that? Was it real? I'm guessing I don't want to know the answer to that… Maybe it wasn't my fault that I fell asleep then? The dream must have caused me to pass out.

'_Now isn't the time to stew on the dream_!' I snapped at myself.

I jumped up on my paws with my head spinning around quickly to try and see if I could find anyone else on the ship. I noticed that it was blue ocean all around the ship; no fishy restaurant in sight. Suddenly I got a sinking feeling on the bottom. I had slept through Nami taking the ship hadn't I? I'm stuck aboard with Nami then. Great... I couldn't bring myself to be angry with her though, after all she did have a good reason.

I finally spotted Nami, standing at the front of the ship and staring out into the sea. I jumped off the roof quietly and made my way to the front of the ship without her noticing me.

"They were good people…" I heard her say quietly to the wind tears streaming down her face. "I wonder if they'll count me as their friend, the next time we meet…I wonder if we can ever meet again…" Nami began sobbing, her shoulders shaking. I felt sadness twisting uncomfortably in my stomach; she was so upset. I hated watching others be upset when there was nothing I could do about it. "I want to hurry up and become free, Bellemere!" She then began to sob harder with her hands gripping her shoulders tightly, hugging herself.

I crept up to her, rubbing my head against the side of the leg. I heard her gasp in shock and she pulled away from the rail to stare at me with wide eyes.

"O-oh God, I for-forgot you were h-here," She sobbed and I sat back and on my haunches and looked up to her with a whine.

She slowly sunk to her knees by my side and hesitantly wrapped her arms around my neck. She pulled me close to her and began to sob into the fur of my neck, her whole body shaking. I let out another soft whined before hooking my head over the back of her shoulder and resting it there. I closed my eyes and stayed still while she cried. Poor Nami, she's had to put up with this for so many years. My minor doggy problems where nowhere near as bad as this.

* * *

><p>I was trotting quietly along after Nami with my eyes darting around in suspicion. Nami had been silent ever since she had cried and she hasn't spoken to me once after that. She was giving me the cold shoulder, so I just stayed silent to and followed her like a dog was meant to do. We had docked the ship earlier, gotten back onto solid land and were now walking along a dirt path that led to God knows where. I was just hoping that I didn't met Arlong and that he didn't try and kill me. I didn't think Arlong would like dogs very much considering how he treats humans like they would a dog.<p>

After walking for a while we reached a house that was next to a large orchard of tangerine trees. A girl just a bit older than Nami walked out and was looking at Nami curiously. She had blue hair and tattoos on her arms and across her chest, I think this might be Nami's sister.

"Nami…" the woman addressed her quietly.

"Nojiko, do me a favour and look after Mamori for me would you?" Nami asked bluntly and didn't wait for a reply before turning around and walking back the way she had come.

I sent Nami a large eyed look before looking back at Nojiko who was looking just as shocked as me.

Oh boy…

* * *

><p><strong>Gomu Gomu no Fusen:<strong> Gum Gum Balloon


	12. House Wrecker

I was resting my head lazily on my paws, but my ears were perked up to alert me to any sounds. I was currently inside Nojiko's house; she had left me here and gone into town for a while. Something about this whole place, the town and all, made me uncomfortable. I was worried about Nami too, although I knew that Luffy and the others would help her. Hearing something from outside the house, I jumped up to my feet, my tail stiff in alertness. I slowly crept up to the front door, pushing myself against the wall next to the door so I could pounce on whoever came in if I didn't know them. I watched intently as the door handle began to turn and the door swung inwards. But what came through had me reeling back in shock with my eyes wide. Nojiko walked through the door, dragging Usopp in with her and a little boy following behind her.

It took me a few seconds to react but I quickly scampered over to Nojiko as she dropped Usopp roughly on the ground. I reached out and gently sniffed at his cheek, nudging him gently with my nose. I couldn't smell any blood, so he couldn't be that badly injured and he looked to be alright. I wonder what happened, as I didn't remember this bit. The only thing I remembered was fact that everyone eventually met up at Arlong Park and a huge fight went down.

Nojiko walked back in the room with a blanket and a wet cloth and she threw the blanket over Usopp. She glanced down to me and I looked curiously up to her.

"He's fine, he's just been knocked out," she said as if she felt the need to explain herself to a dog.

She then knelt down and placed the wet cloth on Usopp's forehead before standing up and walking over to the young boy who had been standing awkwardly and watching us.

I stared at Usopp for a few seconds longer before laying down against his side and laying my head on his shoulder so I could watch and see if he woke up. I listened quietly as Nojiko got the boy a cup of tea before tuning them out and lettings my thoughts wander.

What did I remember about this saga? This didn't seem to ring any bells, so I must have forgotten a few things. I do remember the part where Zoro got tied to the boat. I also remember Luffy in the flying boat and Nami stabbing herself. I could recall some parts of the fight at Arlong park and the tower collapsing. I couldn't remember any more than those flashes of parts, I hope that was enough.

* * *

><p>"AHHHH!" Usopp screamed loudly as he jumped into a sitting position and I scrambled back, my eyes wide in shock at the sudden noise. Usopp's eye immediately darted to Nojiko and the boy that were sitting at the table on the other side of the room. "Th-this place is…?"<p>

"So you woke up?" Nojiko observed dryly. "You are in my home."

"You're that woman from earlier… Who are you? And what about that fishman!" Usopp stuttered nervously before his eyes landed on me. "Mamori is here as well!"

"Don't worry, we lost him," she said casually. "My name is Nojiko and I grow tangerines here."

Figuring that this talk between could go for a while, I sat backwards on my haunches so that my head could flick in between that people that talked.

"Wait a second! You're the one who knocked me out!" Usopp shouted. Well, that was news to me. Why would she do that? "Are you the fishmen's lackey? Hmph, after I was going to save you too…"

"The one that did the saving was me!" Nojiko defended herself with a dismissive wave of her arm. "This is why outsiders are so much trouble." She then turned her attention to the young boy that sat across the table from her. "But you're from Gosa village right? If so then you should understand that attacking the fishmen will only get you killed. You of all people should be more then well aware…"

"I know! But… But they killed my dad! I won't forgive them even if I die!" the boy said with clenched fists as he cast his gaze to the table. "They brought along that huge monster I've never seen before and pillaged and destroyed my entire town! They killed so many people! That's why I have sworn revenge!"

Usopp's jaw dropped and he asked, "A huge monster? Then those tracks in the ground…"

"Those're the tracks left by that thing! It's unimaginably huge! They said they brought it over from the Grand Line!" the boy said with a shaking voice.

Wasn't that monster he was talking about basically a giant cow?

"There're monsters there too!" Usopp yelped sounding shocked but he moved himself to sit at the table with the others and I stayed silently on the ground.

"I… I even went to Arlong Park!" The boy said as he began to raise his voice to get his point across. "But some female member of the Arlong Pirates stopped me at the door! She was like a real witch! How dare she get in my way! I'll kill her too!"

"Then go ahead and die," Nojiko said in a blunt and emotionless way. "As long as you are going to end up dead, then feel free to fight. Some excellent revenge _that_ is. But let me just say one thing. Thanks to me and that witch lady at Arlong Park interfering you've narrowly escaped death twice!" Nojiko then stood up from the table and turned her back on Usopp and the kid. "Get out of my house once you are done that tea. I hate naïve little brats like you."

"Hey!" Usopp snapped as he butted in. "He's just a kid! Isn't that going a bit too far!"

Nojiko spun around and placed her hands on her hips as she snapped irritably, "So what if he's just a kid! Anybody who wants to die a dogs death can go ahead and die for all I care! It's not like they have any desire to live on anyway!"

Oh, ouch. That comment on a dogs death hurt; I sure as hell don't want to die like that.

"WHAT!" Usopp snarled in fury as he jumped up out of his chair too. I was still watching on silently, not really sure as what to do.

"I know of a certain child who has lived a far more painful life then death..." Nojiko sighed as she lowered her voice to an unruffled tone. "Because she looks forward to a better future." Suddenly her temper seemed to flare again as she screamed at Usopp, "THAT'S WHY I ABSOLUTELY LOATHE BRATS LIKE HIM WHO ONLY THINK ABOUT RUSHING TO THEIR DEATHS!"

"W-what..." the kid began to sob with tears running down his face which caught all of our attention. "What am I supposed to do then?"

"What about your mom?" Nojiko asked.

"She's still alive…" he sobbed.

"Then she must be worried," Nojiko said with a soft smile. "So why don't you go home to your mom?"

* * *

><p>"You're actually a pretty good person, even though you do have a tattoo," Usopp said as he leaned back in his chair.<p>

The kid had gone home and Nojiko and Usopp were seated back at the table. I was laying with my head on my paws beside the table, still silently listening to what was going on. I was almost tempted to walk the kid home to see he got home safely, but I thought it be best I not leave Usopp alone.

"Well isn't that prejudiced of you! Though I can't say much about you," Nojiko snorted as she took a sip of her tea.

"Ah! That's right, my name is Captain Usopp," he lied. "I came here looking for Nami but..."

Nojiko then proceed to explain to Usopp the stuff that I already knew about; like Nami being an Arlong Pirate.

"WHAT!" Usopp exclaimed loudly in shock. "Nami's a member of Arlong's Pirates!"

"Yup, Nami's pretty infamous around these parts," Nojiko confirmed. "Even that kid talked about her earlier, remember? She's that witch woman he talked about. She's the one who dropped that dog off here and more surprising would be the fact this is the house she grew up in. The witch and I are foster sisters."

"This is Nami's home?" Usopp exclaimed in shock, jumping up out of his chair. Did he always need to be that loud? His raised voice was starting to hurt my ears.

"That's right… She and I are orphans," Nojiko confirmed calmly. "We were adopted and raised in this house. The one who raised us has long been dead now, but the three of us used to live happily here in this village."

"This village..." Usopp stuttered, his jaw open wide. "Then why did she join Arlong Pirates that now rule over this village? Did she betray her own hometown!"

"Something like that," Nojiko hummed quietly, not seeming that concerned about Usopp's accusations. "A real witch right? So what's your business with that witch Captain Usopp?"

"Well, after what you just said I have more important things think about. So… she's been deceiving us all along… she must have been aiming for the treasure right from the beginning!" Usopp exclaimed.

I had to squeeze my eyes closed. I didn't know how Nojiko could just sit her listen to Usopp saying that but it sort of pissed me off. He didn't know the story behind it, granted. But he still shouldn't judge so easily.

"When I think that… It pisses me off so much!" Usopp snapped as he slammed his fist down on the table. "Even though she helped protect my village… And laughed so happily when sailing together with us... Inside her mind she was always planning on how to steal the treasure and ditch us!"

I let out a soft growl now, lifting up my head to glare at Usopp, although he didn't notice me.

"Laughing happily?" Nojiko questioned. "Her?"

"Why the evil witch!" Usopp raged. "A person like her deserves an attack of the spiritual order! I'll completely ignore her from now on!"

"I told you already, don't start trouble with the Arlong Pirates," Nojiko sighed with a jaded look.

"Well, as long as I can get back my ship it's fine. And since I've already found the ship I should hurry up and leave!" Usopp declared, but like hell I was going to leave.

"Well, that would be the wise thing to do. Messing with the Arlong Pirates won't end in mere injuries," Nojiko said before jerking her thumb towards the window and asking. "By the way, is that the ship you were looking for?"

"AH!" Usopp yelped yet again in shock. "The Going Merry! What is it doing over there?"

"Wait a minute…" Usopp began to mumbled to himself. "Alright, I've already grasped the basic geography of this area. I remember there being a village to the west of here. That has to be Cocoyashi village center... That's where I saw those fishmen."

Suddenly Usopp went silent and his jaw dropped down.

"What's wrong?" Questioned Nojiko.

"I forgot that one of my crew mates unfortunately got himself caught by the fishmen," Usopp said and I felt my lips twitch in annoyance at that lie. Usopp and either Jonny or Yosaku had tied him up and left him there. "And he was already on the verge of death! I just hope he didn't provoke them and get himself killed…"

Are you kidding? This is Zoro we are talking about. Of course he's pissed someone off! I'm going to get grey hairs early with all the worrying and stressing I do…

* * *

><p>"He's inhuman!" Usopp yelped loudly in fear.<p>

We were hiding behind a building, watching Arlong talk to one of the villagers with many stitches on his body. There were lots of other fishmen behind him and there were no other villagers in sight. Usopp apparently wasn't that keen on Arlong's look. I, on the other hand, was holding back a growl. He didn't look _that_ scary in real life, but I still didn't like him. Luffy could kill him though, so we didn't have much to worry about except keeping ourselves alive in the meantime.

"He _is_ a fishman," sighed Nojiko.

"But it looks like Nami didn't come with him…" Usopp muttered quietly.

"She's probably at Arlong Park," Nojiko said in a nonchalant way.

"I've got 20 villages under my rule," Alrong smirked. "And rebels are quiet a nuisance for us rulers. I destroyed the rebellious port town of Gosa to teach a lesson to all the other towns! If someone fails to pay their tribute, then it means that they plan to rebel against us!"

'_What a monster,_' I hissed mentally. '_Not in body, but in mind._'

"Tribute?" Usopp asked, still peeking around the corner. I was pressed up against his legs also still watching what was going on. "What's he talking about?"

"It's money we have to pay month after month…" Nojiko said, showing a little bit of emotion this time. "We have to buy our own lives from them! Adults, kids, everyone! So if there is a single person in any village that fails to pay his tribute then his entire village will be destroyed just like Gosa village!"

"A whole town destroyed because of one single person!" Usopp exclaimed, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. "Talk about cruel!"

"That's life under Arlong's rule," Nojiko stated. "With their 'racial doctrine' they don't even think twice about killing a human…"

"Hear me well inferior humans!" I heard Arlong call out. "All you need to do is work hard and pay the tribute! There is no need to think about anything else! What I need is an enormous sum of money! YOUR MONEY WILL BECOME THE CORNERSTONE OF MY ARLONG EMPIRE THAT WILL SOON RULE ALL EAST BLUE!"

"ARLONG EMPIRE?" Usopp yelled. "He's trying to build his own nation? So then he is going to turn all of East Blue into his fishmen empire? But that would include my home town too..."

"Whatever happens, happens," shrugged Nojiko. "All we can do is quietly sit still and endure it… For now."

"For now...?" Usopp echoed her.

"ARGHHH!" We heard a voice cry out in pain

"What's that?" Usopp cried.

"GEN!" Nojiko Yelped in worry and shock.

"Possessing a weapon is a clear sign of rebellion," Alrong stated as he held up the stitches man with the pinwheel on his head, Gen, by the front of his shirt. "The case of unrest and disturbance in my lands. And to make sure there aren't any more rebels like you, I'll kill you to show the other villagers what happens to rebels!"

"WHA! All he did was collect some weapons!" Usopp object to himself. "He's seriously going to kill someone over that much!"

"That son of a…" Nojiko snarled as she bolted out from behind the building and towards Arlong.

"Hey! Come back here or you'll be killed!" Usopp yelled after her but she didn't listen and kept running.

I looked up to Usopp; he was going to do something right? If not, I was going to be following Nojiko's lead. But Usopp didn't let me down, and with several muttered curses he began to clamber on top of the building as we heard more scuffling for the main street. I was quick to follow Usopp up with the use of some handily placed crates and we finally reached the top of the building in time to see Arlong pick Gen up by his middle and lift him up over his shoulder ready to throw him.

"LET THIS BE A WARNING TO THE REST OF YOU!" Arlong yelled as he continued to swing Gen down at the ground.

"KAYAKU BOSHI*!" Usopp yelled as he let loose one of his little 'bullets'. It smashed into Arlong and exploded causing Arlong to release Gen and stumble back in pain and shock. Usopp really did have good aim.

Several different voices, both human and fishmen called out.

"What was that!"

"Arlong!"

"Look over there!"

"There is someone standing on the roof!"

"Identify yourself!"

"I AM THE BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEAS!" Usopp cried out, although his legs were shaking. I silently leaned against his legs to give him some comfort and it seemed to work as his shaking seemed to decrease. "CAPTAIN USOPP! AND THIS IS MY COMPANION, MAMORI!"

"Huh… Usopp?" one fishman muttered.

"Never heard of him," stated another.

"It's them!" Nojiko gasped.

"Who are they?" several villagers exclaimed.

"FEARD BY THE ENTIRE WORLD AS THE MAN FROM HELL, THEY CALL ME 'USOPP THE WICKED KING'!" Usopp yelled as he lied. I was sort of embarrassed to be standing next to him, but at the moment we had bigger fish to fry. Pun intended. "I HAVE 8000 SUBORDINATES AT MY COMMAND! FLEE AT ONCE AND I SHALL CONSIDER FORGIVING YOU!"

"Arlong, that's him! He's that guy I told you about earlier who escaped from me!" one of the fishmen cried.

"I don't care if you've got tens of thousands of followers!" Arlong snarled, his head bent over as he recovered from the earlier shot. "Just try me! I'll crush every one of them! Even though you are just a puny human...!" His head suddenly snapped up to glare viciously at Usopp and myself. "LOWLY HUMAN SCUM! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME!"

Alrong jumped forward, gripping the corner of the house and lifting it right off of the ground using sheer strength alone. With a cry, Usopp dropped to his stomach and gripped onto the edge of the house but I had no such luck. I didn't have fingers to grip onto anything so I launched myself straight off the roof without a second thought. I went soaring through the air above everyone, my eyes as wide as some of the villagers. I can't believe I just jumped off a two story building.

The ground was coming faster to them than I would have liked it to so I squeezed my eyes closed. I quickly remembered something a horse crazy friend of mine had said back on Earth one time.

'_When you fall off a horse, always try and land on your shoulders and roll to alleviate some of the force behind the fall,_' the advice echoed in my mind.

Well, I had never had a chance to test that theory and I think now might be the best time. I wondered whether it even worked for dogs.

I angled my body so that my right front paw would hit the ground first, and as soon as I felt first contact I let it crumble beneath me, pitching myself onto my shoulder. The motion then caused me to roll over several times as the rest of the body came in contact with the ground, my eyes not opening for a second. I only stopped rolling when I felt something slam into my side, causing me to stop completely. I cracked open my eyes to stare blankly up at a fishman. It appeared that I was currently on my back, my side propped up against a fishman's legs, which is what cause me to stop. He looked down at me looking just as shocked as I was. I quickly jumped up though and threw myself away from the fishman before he could do anything, ignoring his cry behind me. I spun around and started weaving in and out of the fishmen before they noticed me and headed cautiously towards Arlong.

"Arlong! Wait! You're not going to destroy the village are you!" I heard one of the fishmen cry out.

"Human villages are easy to crush but our goal is to rule over them!" another objected.

"If you turn this village into another Gosa village then out tribute funds will decrease again!" yet another fishman inputted.

"If our funds decrease then all we have to do is concur another village!" snapped Arlong. "WE ARE THE SUPREME BEINGS!"

Arlong then proceeded to smash the building he was holding into another house causing them both to shatter into splinters of flying wood.

'_USOPP!_' I cried mentally in worry.

"CRAP!" I heard a familiar voice yell. "He's going to kill me!"

I then saw Usopp running across the roof of another house much to my relief. It was short lived when a fishmen started calling out, "He's alive! After him! Don't let him escape!"

"CATCH HIM AND KILL HIM!" Alrong roared.

Two other fishmen quickly jumped forward to restrain Arlong crying out, "Let's return to Arlong Park! At this rate he is going to annihilate the entire village!"

I hesitated, stopping my advance. I shouldn't attack the fishmen now because that will get the village in more trouble they don't need. I'd best help Usopp then, I think the villages can handle themselves for the moment now that the fishmen are leaving.

That decided I quickly ducked behind a building until the fishmen were out of sight and then took off at a sprint, following Usopp's scent. I just hope he could hold out for now.

* * *

><p>Kayaku Boshi: Gunpowder Star<p> 


	13. Here We Come

**Well, here is the next chapter! :) I hope you all like it and thank you for waiting. Also thanks yet again to my beta praeses, without her my chapters would be riddled with typos and mistakes.**

* * *

><p>My paws were pounding softly on the dirt track as I ran along with my nose down to the ground as it picked up Usopp's scent. It was a lot easier to tell how people smelled and to track them down as a dog; although all the new scents confused me at first, I seem to have slowly gotten used to it.<p>

After I was sure that all the fishmen had left, I ran out of the village after Usopp; he was a few minutes ahead of me but I hoped my dog speed could help me catch up. I also hope that he didn't get himself in to much trouble or get himself caught.

"Charging recklessly after an enemy that is undoubtedly stronger then you without a plan is a stupid thing to do," A deep male voice said and caused me to stumble awkwardly to a stop.

I spun around to face where the sound had come from and saw the guy with the dark blue cloak that I had seen on Usopp's island. He was once again leaning lazily against a tree, and not one part of his body could be seen.

Instantly all the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I took a cautious step backwards; a warning growl slipping out of my throat. I didn't know what this guy wanted, but this is the second time I have seen him, and I don't think it coincidence.

"Tut, tut," He said clicking his tongue and I heard a highlight of humor in his voice. He was playing with me. "You did a pretty dismal job in the fight against the Black Cat Pirates."

I felt chills go down my spine and I took another step backward from this guy. His whole aura screamed '_DANGER! DANGER!'_ to me, and that fact alone curbed my temper enough so I didn't attack him. In fact, as much as hated to admit it, I was scared witless of him for no good reason. I had no idea who he was, but he must have watched or heard of what happened during my fight with the Black Cats to be able to say that. Why was he interested in me? Did he have anything to do with the reason I was here in the first place?

I heard him snort comically from underneath his coat and he said, "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you. In fact I am here to make sure you don't get yourself killed yet."

He took several steps towards me and I took another step back, my ears pressed back flat against my skull.

"Would you stop being a child!" I heard him snap so suddenly that I jumped violently. I couldn't see his face or body so the only way I had to tell his emotions was his voice. "I told you I am here to help you, so stop being such a baby and accept my help before you go and try get yourself killed you stupid bitch!"

I hesitated, my brain reeling. He could have killed me already if had he wanted to, and he still could any second now. What could I do to stop him? Nothing. What he said, the fact that he wants to help, must be true. I don't know why he would, but I have a feeling he knows something about my being here so I might as well trust him, for now. His intentions for helping me might not be innocent, but I should take what I could while I could.

I sighed in a defeated way and lowered my head as I squeezed my eyes closed in apprehension. I heard him walk up to me and stop by my side before kneeling down. His cloak rustled as he moved and I flinched violently a he touched my front left leg. I accidentally let a vicious snarl slip out of its own accord but it didn't stop the guy.

I felt him push something against my leg and flicked my tail in annoyance; the tension in the air was killing me. Finally, after what seemed like ages, but was only minutes, he stood up and stepped back. I hesitantly peeled my eyes open and instantly cast my glance at my left leg. I squinted my eyes in confusion as I saw what was tied to my leg. I was a knife holster with a knife inside of it. I cast my eyes up in confusion looking at the man in the dark blue cloak, my steel blue eyes probing for answers.

"It's a bowie knife, it should help you if you learn how to use it properly. Consider it a gift, and in return don't get yourself killed," He said in a dismissive manner.

I looked back at the knife once more, my eyes taking in the fine details. It was in a light brown leather sheath, and I saw that the handle of the knife was wrapped in ribbons of platted brown leather as well. I gently reach around and poked it with my nose, the tangy smell of leather tickling the back of my nose.

"Hurr, no need to thank me," He snarled, he had wilder moods then Luffy.

Although I did feel a twinge of guilt, I should have thanked him. But how? I was a dog, as I seem to keep getting reminded. I let out a soft bark and him and with some quick think I dipped my head in a bow. I held it for a few seconds before lifting my head back up and staring into the shadowy hood that hid his face.

I heard him laugh before he turned his back on me and started walking away. He called over his shoulder, "Oh, by the way, it's too late to save that long nosed friend of yours. He has already been caught by Arlong."

The sudden guilt that hit me was like a blow in the stomach. I'd forgotten about Usopp whilst I had been listening to this guy! Now he was caught and it was my fault, I could have helped him!

"Nothing you can do for him now, you won't achieve anything by going to Arlong's Park. If you wait a few more minutes the pirate hunter will be here. Good luck," He said and kept walking till he was out of my sight.

Should I wait for Zoro? He was he lying? Not likely. And he was right; there was nothing I could do for Usopp now. I'll wait here for a few minutes and if he doesn't show then I will go after Usopp alone.

* * *

><p>I saw Zoro running along the path and I ran forward to meet him, letting out a loud bark to get his attention.<p>

"Huh?" He stopped and looked at me curiously. "So this is where you got to? We thought you'd still be with Nami or the boat."

I tilted my head curiously to the side letting out another soft bark.

"Oh, yeah. Arlong has Usopp, I'm going to rescue the idiot. You coming?" He said. I let out a bark and threw my head up in the air.

He just smirked before turning around and running off again with me hot at his heels, my tail streaming out like a banner.

'_We're coming Usopp!_' I thought to myself.

* * *

><p>We were running even faster now, the tip of Arlong Park's tower in sight. I jumped slightly as a large crashing noise echoed through the forest and reach our ears.<p>

"What the hell was that noise just now!" Zoro exclaimed. "Did someone drop a bomb or something on the island or something? Well, in that case I'll just have to hurry up or Usopp will be ki-"

Suddenly the terrible image of a flying boat and Luffy at the helm came rushing back into my memory causing me to halt instantly. And at the same moment a boat came flying out of the trees, heading straight for Zoro and myself, and guess who was at the helm? It was none other than our dumb-ass captain.

"AGHHHHHHHHH!" I heard voices screaming from on the boat as I watch it with wide eyes.

"OH! Zoro! Mamori!" Luffy cried when he saw us.

Then next thing I knew the ship had slammed full force into Zoro and myself, and we went flying with the ship until it finally broke apart when it hit a large rock with an almighty '_**CRASH**_'.

I was left in a dazed heap as I lied in the rubble next to Zoro; luckily nothing felt broken although I think I hit my head.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Zoro screamed, holding his bleeding head as I slowly lifted myself out of the rubble, shaking my coat to get all the loose bits of dirt out.

"What do you mean we obviously came to get Nami and Mamori back," Luffy said in confusion. "Haven't you found Nami yet? And where's Usopp and Johnny?"

They came to get me back as well? Haha, how cute! Glad to know they care.

"Usopp? Oh crap!" Zoro yelped as he jumped back up to his feet, ready to run again. "Now is not the time to be wasting time!"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Luffy asked.

After quickly checking myself over I saw that my thick coat had thankfully stopped me getting any scratches, I only had a few bruises. Also my new knife had managed to stay in place thankfully, so I was ready to run with Zoro again.

"That idiot got himself caught by Arlong! If we don't hurry up he'll be k-" Zoro started to say but was cut off yet again.

"HE WAS ALREADY KILLED!" Shouted Johnny who had just arrived on the scene.

I spun around to face him, eyes wide. Usopp was dead? Shit! I was just with him less than 15 minutes ago and he was fine! I started to feel guilty until I suddenly realized that the story line had to go on and somehow he would be fine… I just had to wait and see. I hope.

"Johnny…?" Zoro questioned him.

"BROTHER USOPP WAS MURDERED BY SISTER NAMI!" Johnny shouted and different looks of shock and guilt seemed to pass over everyone's face.

I just ducked my head, hoping that I was right and that he was fine after all.

Johnny walked towards us and Luffy jumped forward, grabbing the front of his shirt and yelling, "SAY IT ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL KICK YOUR ASS!"

"Luffy, stop! It's not as if Johnny is the one at fault here!" Zoro argued.

"WELL HE IS MAKING UP BULL CRAP!" Luffy screamed in rage. "THERE'S NO WAY NAMI WOULD KILL USOPP, WE'RE CREWMATES!"

I was fidgeting nervously by Zoro's side, not really sure what to do yet again.

"It's fine if you don't want to believe it! But I saw it with my very own eyes!" Cried Johnny.

"Just who did you call crewmates Luffy?" A female voice asked causing all of our heads to snap in her direction. Nami was standing before us, a pole, I think it was called a bo staff, in one hand and a glove on her other. "What did you come to this island for?"

"What are you talking about?" Luffy said innocently. "Aren't we crewmates? We've come for you of course!"

"Well you're nothing but a nuisance," Nami sighed, crossing her arms. "And 'crewmates'? Don't make me laugh. It was nothing but a stupid little cooperation."

I just tilted my head to the side as I watched Nami lie bluntly; we were going to save her one way or another.

"Na-Nami! It's me! Do you remember me? Let's set sail together!" Sanji cried giddily as he waved his arm.

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped. "Can't you see that you're making things more complicated by butting in!"

"What's that?" Sanji snarled back at him. "Don't you know love is always a hurricane?"

Those two were annoying me with their arguing, I was about to nip them both when another voice cried out.

"I TOLD YOU SHE'S A WITCH! IF IT MEANS SHE CAN GET HER HANDS ON HE TREASURE IN HER VILLAGE SHE'LL GLADLY JOIN THE ARLONG PIRATES AND KILL!" Johnny yelled. "SHE'S A COLD BLOODED WITCH THROUGH AND THROUGH! YOU'VE ALL BEEN DECEIVED FROM THE START! AND I SWEAR I SAW HER STABBING USOPP!"

"So what?" Nami said with a smirk. "Would you like to try an avenge him?"

"What!" He snarled in reply.

"Let me tell you one thing..." She continued. "After the stunt Zoro pulled Arlong wants Zoro and all his companions dead. No matter how monstrously strong you all may be, you're no match for a real monster."

"I couldn't care less about all that," Zoro snapped impatiently. "Where's Usopp?"

"At the bottom of the ocean," She replied.

"That's it! I've had enough of you!" Zoro cried as he began to pull his sword out. I tensed up ready to jump in front of Zoro and stop him but someone reacted quicker than me.

"And I've had enough of you!" Cried the blonde cook as he swung at Zoro's head with his foot. "Does a swordsman harm ladies as well Roronoa Zoro?"

"The hell did you just say? Don't butt in when you don't know the first thing about anything!" Zoro snapped back at him.

"Heh…aren't you quiet shameful after your loss," Sanji teased. Oh dear me, of all the things he could have said, he said that….

"What?" Zoro hissed lowly before he brought up his sword and held it near Sanji's throat. "Watch your mouth punk, or your head will go flying."

"I'd like to see you try it," Sanji countered.

This was just getting fucking ridiculous! I was in no mood to put up with their shit at the moment! Why don't they just go ahead, whip 'em out and measure 'em! Bloody men… I decided though that it was time someone stepped in so I trotted forwards and nipped at the back of Zoro's thigh and he jumped back with a cry of, "Hey!"

And then before Sanji had time to react I lunged at him and nipped the side of calf. I made sure that when I bit I didn't break skin, but it would still leave a bruise and it was enough to get both their attention.

I sort of regretted it afterwards though as they both glared down at me and Zoro hissed, "Mamori..."

"This isn't the time to be bickering!" Yosaku finally snapped, stepping in. "This is an emergency!"

"That's right! If you are going to fight why don't do you do it somewhere other than this island!" Nami butted in. "I'd rather not have outsiders stick their noses in this islands affairs anymore! Do you still not get it! I only stuck around with you for the money! And now that you don't even have a cent, I couldn't care less about you! If it's about the ship, I'll give it back to you. So go find another navigator and go search for your little One Piece or whatever!"

"NOW GET OFF THIS ISLAND, YOU'RE AN EYESORE!" Nami snapped. "Farewell."

"Nami…" Was all Luffy said before he closed his eyes and fell backwards into the dirt. Several people, including me jump at his sudden collapse and I ran to his side.

"Brother Luffy!" Yosaku yelped.

"I'm gonna sleep," He said simply as I reached his side. Idiot, I was worried about him for a second there. Although sleeping didn't sound too bad at the moment…

"SLEEP!" The others screamed. "In this emergency and in the middle of the road!"

"I don't feel like leaving this island yet," He said as he closed his eyes. "And I don't really care what's going on at this island either. And I'm sleepy."

I dropped down beside him, leaning against his side as I placed my head across his chest in an act of rebellion. This was one way I could get back at Nami considering I couldn't talk and I wasn't in the mood to nip her.

"So I'm sleeping," Luffy stated.

I glanced back at the others to gage their reactions. Yosaku's jaw was wide enough to fit a melon in, Johnny was gripping both sides of his head, Sanji was just slumped over in disbelief, and Zoro was face palming. A bloody classic scene if I have ever seen one.

"FINE!" Nami screamed in indignation. "DO WHAT EVER THE HELL YOU WANT! YOU CAN DIE FOR ALL I CARE!"

"Are you all out of your minds! It just as that insane witch said. Brother Usopp is dead and Arlong is out to get us!" Yosaku exclaimed as he tried to convince us. "Just what reason do you have to stay on this island any longer? I for one believe in Johnny and what he saw!"

'_Oh shut up!_' I thought moodily. '_It's not that I don't believe Johnny, I just don't think he saw the whole situation for what is was._'

"It's only been a short while, but I'm afraid this is where we must part," Johnny continued. "We have no desire to be hunted down and killed by Arlong."

"Fine," Zoro said simply and with emotion.

They began to walk away and I lifted my head up from my paws to watch in sadly, my ears dropping back against my skull. They have annoyed me sometimes but they were my friends too, I was sad to see them go.

"May we meet again one day!" Yosaku cried out, waving goodbye.

"Take my brothers and Mamori!" Johnny cried, also waving. I let out a bark as they left, bidding them farewell as well. It was not the way I would have liked to part with them, but what could one do?

"You too," Replied Zoro nonchalantly.

I dropped my head back against Luffy's chest with a sigh, closing my eyes lazily. I drifted off into a fitful nap, the rising and falling of Luffy's chest not bothering me in the slightest, I think it was a dog thing.

* * *

><p>"USOPP!" Luffy cried out in shock, holding Usopp against his chest. I was standing on the other side of Usopp, licking his cheek in an attempted to wake him up. His face was bloody and bruised, but at least he was alive! "DID NAMI DO THIS TO YOU!"<p>

"Um, no. That was actually because him and I," Sanji said sheepishly as he pointed to Zoro.

"You mean just you!" Zoro hissed like a cat.

Usopp's eyes suddenly snapped open and he exclaimed, "AH! Luffy, you're here too? And Mamori good to see you're okay!"

I flinched internally, he'd been worried about me but it was my fault I didn't get there in time to help him.

"Yep!" Luffy confirmed happily.

"I decided to tag along too, nice to meet you," Sanji said impishly, obviously trying to make up for almost killing Usopp himself.

"In any case, the problem is Nami," Usopp said, pulling a serious face as he stood up. "If you ask me, there must be some reason why she ended up joining the Arlong Pirates!"

"It's useless." Said another female voice from behind us. How is that almost every Tom, Dick, Harry, and his dog can seem to find us, but Alrong and his band of fishmen can't? "No matter what you do, you won't be able to change Arlong's rule."

"Nojiko," Usopp said as he looked at the woman.

"Who's she?" Luffy asked as he pointed rudely at her.

"She's Nami's sister," Usopp answered him.

"N-N-Nami's sister? Well, it's no wonder she's so beautiful then!" Sanji stuttered, his eyes turning into hearts.

"What do you mean useless?" Zoro asked her.

"Please don't involve yourself with this village anymore," She asked as she put her hands on her hips. "I'll tell you all about how things got this way, so in return I want you to just leave quietly."

"I'm fine," Luffy said bluntly. "I'm not really interested in her past. I'm taking a walk."

With that said he then proceeded to turn and walk off and I decided I'd follow him. I knew the basics of Nami's story, I didn't need to hear it again. I trotted of after my captain, my tail wagging lazily. He could be dumb sometimes, but he was a great captain.

"Take a walk!" Usopp cried from behind us. "Aren't you going to listen?"

"Nah, I'm cool," Was Luffy's only reply.

* * *

><p>Luffy was strolling contently through the main street of the town, his hands in his pockets. I was still trotting laxly after him, my head held high as my tail continued to wag.<p>

We both paused as a progression of people made it's up through the street, coming the opposite way too use. As we got closer we saw that it was a large group of marine's and Mr. Stitches at the front of them.

"What business do the marines have with Nami?" I heard him asked.

"Chi, chi, chi, that's none of your concern. Just lead the way," Said a marine in an outfit that looked like a mouse.

Luffy and I watched silently as they turned off onto another street, walking away from us. Luffy seemed to be considering something deeply and I was waiting for the order to go help Nami.

"Why does that guy have a pinwheel in his head…?" Luffy asked, referring to Mr. Stitches. I could have face palmed if I had a hand, why had I expected anymore of my captain?

* * *

><p>Luffy was sitting against a tree and I was sitting next time him, my tail flicking against the ground in an agitated way. I knew Luffy wasn't stupid, but I hated waiting for things when a friend of mine could be danger! I don't know how he could bear this.<p>

Suddenly there was a commotion over buy one of the houses, people where crying about marines and someone being shot.

"Oh?" Luffy said as he got up and began to stroll over towards the crowd of people. I was glued to his heels, my eyes darting around in suspicion.

"Hey Nami, what's up?" Luffy asked with his stupid smile. I couldn't see over the crowd of people but I could smell blood. "Need any help?"

"You're still here!" I heard Nami snarl in one of the vicious tones she has ever used. She took several steps forwards and latched onto the front of Luffy's shirt. "THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! SO JUST GET THE HELL OFF THIS ISLAND!"

She then threw Luffy at the ground but I jumped behind him to cushion his fall somewhat.

"Nami! Where are you going?" I heard one of the villagers cry out as Nami ran away. Luffy silently pulled himself off of me, scratching his head in confusion.

* * *

><p>I sat back and watched with sad and haunted eyes as Nami began to stab he arm where Arlong's tattoo was as she screamed his name. Luffy luckily caught he hand before she could bring the knife down her again and he started at her with silent eyes.<p>

"Luffy…" She whispered

She suddenly clenched her fists in the dirt before her, blood dripping down her arm as she yelled tearily, "What is it? You don't even know the first thing about anything!"

"Nope," He confirmed simply. "I don't know anything."

"This has nothing to do with you!" She screamed before throwing some dirt uselessly at Luffy. "Didn't I already tell you to leave this island!"

"Yeah you did," Was all he said.

Nami began to sob loudly into her hand and I began to creep towards her like a kicked dog. I gently pushed my head against her chest with a whimper and she wrapped one of her arms around my neck as she begged Luffy,"Help me…"

Luffy's eyes got a shadowed look as he took his treasured straw hat off of his head, placing it on Nami's. He then turned away and took a deep breath. Nami's gripped tightened around my neck as Luffy screamed, "OF COURSE I WILL!"

"Luffy…" She whispered again and I let my eyes flick around as the rest of our crew gathered around. When they had got here I don't know, but I am glad they were here. Someone was going to pay now.

"Let's go," Luffy said and I gently slipped out of Nami's grip, licking one of her cheeks free of tears before lifting up my head and releasing a challenging howl. That was my battle cry, and now we were going to go to Arlong Park to fill that challenge.

"Roger," Confirmed the rest of the crew with their serious faces on.

* * *

><p><strong>CRASH<strong>

The large wooden doors that had barred the entrance to Arlong Park shattered before us as Luffy punched his way straight through them.

"Who's the one called Arlong?" Luffy demanded to know, his clenched fist held up in front of his body.

Oh, Arlong was so fucked now.

"Who is this brat?" Alrong hissed as he stared at Luffy with narrowed eyes. "That would be my name..."

I stood back with the others, watching in amusement as Luffy continued to walk towards Alrong, not looking scared of anything and introduced himself, "I'm Luffy."

"Luffy…" He muttered. "I see. And just what the hell are you?"

"A pirate," Was his short and frank reply.

"Hey, you! Stop!" Demanded two large fishmen as the stood in Luffy's path. "If you don't hold it right there…"

Luffy reached up with his rubber arms, grabbing the heads of the two fishmen and slamming them together so hard that they were both knocked out. "Move it!"

"Wha!" The other fishmen cried out in shock out how easy their friends were taken out.

"What does a pirate want with me?" Questioned Arlong in a hiss.

Luffy just pulled back his fist and slammed it into Arlong's face with so much force that he went flying across the ground and into the wall.

"AHH! ARLONG!" His men cried at seeing their leader hit so easily.

"Just what the hell…" Arlong snarled, his temper escalating as he shook the rubble of himself.

"DON'T YOU **DARE **MAKE MY NAVIGATOR CRY!" Luffy said with such conviction that I pitied the man that pissed him off. In this case, Arlong. Although that dick head deserved to die.

"WHY YOU!" Cried Arlong's crew as they all charged at Luffy. "HOW DARE YOU!"

"SMALL FRIES CAN JUST GET THE HELL BACK!" Sanji exclaimed as he and Zoro swiftly dealt with the wave of attackers, sending them flying back without really trying.

"Jeez, running in head first alone like that…" Sanji chastised and he strolled up next to Luffy.

"Don't worry! I ain't gonna loose!" Luffy declared.

"Dumbass! When did I ever say I was worried about you!" Sanji snapped at him. "I only meant that you shouldn't hog all the glory for yourself."

"Oh," Luffy said with a blank look on his face.

"I d-don't particularly mind either w-way Luffy!" Usopp stuttered as he tried to look brave, but he stood behind Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy which gave him away.

"Ain't you gutsy," Zoro snorted in amusement as he looked back at Usopp.

I just let out a bark to add my opinion, even though I didn't really have one. I then slipped up and took a place on the other side of Zoro, my teeth bared in an impish smirk.

* * *

><p><strong>Also, if you have any questions that you want me to answer just e-mail them to me, or leave them in a review. Please put 'Q:' before the question so that I know you actually want it answered, and that it wasn't just a question to yourself. It will make my life so much easier, and that way I will be able to get back to some of you. Thanks. :)<strong>


	14. Fishie, Fishie

"Roronoa Zoro…" A fishman hissed as he obviously recognized Zoro.

"That's him! The one that tricked me!" A octopus-like fishman yelped. "How dare he take me for a ride! Wait… No. I was actually the one who gave him a ride!"

Well… That sounds normal…

"That long nosed human is still alive!" Another random fishman cried. "He should be dead!"

"Pirates huh… I see… So that's how you're all related," Arlong muttered in a low voice. "So, your goal from the very beginning was only to get Nami, is that it? Shahaha! What could four measly humans do!"

Oh yeah, so what the fuck was I!

"You idiots!" The octopus fishman cried out. "As if Arlong would fight the likes of you! I'll turn you all into fish food!"

Then, using his odd shaped mouth the octopus made a weird horn like sound and yelled, "Come out, beast!"

"W-w-w-what's going on!" Usopp yelped in fear. "Could it be the monster form the Grand Line that destroyed Gosa!"

The water from behind the octopus started to ripple as he cried out, "Come out Mohmoo!"

A large sea cow burst forward from the water, just like it had looked in my memory. But was that bruises it had on it is? And it looked ready to cry… What the hell?

"Moo..." He said pathetically.

"Ahh! It's a monster!" Usopp screamed.

"Huh?" The octopus said in a dumfounded way at Mohmoo's appearance.

Mohmoo looked down at us and froze as Luffy and Sanji stared back at him.

"Oh him?" Luffy asked with his arms crossed.

"So he is one of them huh?" Sanji said with a nonchalant façade.

"Moo…" The poor thing whimpered as it turned around and began to swim away.

"Mohmoo…" Arlong snarled in a dangerous voice as he glared at the sea cow. "The hell do you think you are going?"

I watched curiously as it froze at Arlong's voice. "Well, if you are going to run away I ain't gonna try and stop you, but… Well, Mohmoo?"

The monster seemed to have a sudden change of heart as it spun around, fury blazing it it's eyes as is roared, "MOOOOOOOO!"

"IT'S COMING FOR US!" Usopp screamed in fear as the sea cow charged at us.

"All right!" Cried Arlong's men. "Follow Mohmoo's lead! Let's show these inferior human's not to mess with us!"

Zoro, Sanji, Usopp and myself all slipped into battle positions but Luffy stepped in front of us and said, "Leave them to me! They're a bunch of time wasters!"

With a little effort Luffy smashed both of his feet down into the concrete so they were covered right up to his ankles.

"The hell's he doing?" Sanji muttered in confusion.

"I don't have a good feeling about this…" Zoro groaned and I agreed whole heartedly with him.

"NGHHH!" Luffy began to spin around in a circular motion so that his body became twisted and taunt while his arms knocked away the fishman attacks. He then stretched out his rubber arms and latched onto Mohmoo's horns.

"He must be a Devil Fruit user!" One of the fishmen called out.

"Hey! Let's get out of here!" Usopp yelled as he bolted.

"What!" Sanji cried in confusion amongst the chaos. "What's he doing?"

"Hell if I know!" Zoro snapped in reply and we all ran for cover before we got caught up in that idiots' attack too.

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy began to say. "KAZAGURUMA*!"

And with no further ado he allowed his body to be untwisted, taking the sea cow with him and knocking down most of Arlong's men in a whirlwind of fury. He then let go of Mohmoo, sending him flying and he then spun around to face Arlong.

"I didn't come here to fight small fry! The one I came to beat up is you!" Luffy yelled vehemently at Arlong.

"How excellent…" Arlong hissed, his mood seeming to change from angry to excited. "I was thinking of killing you myself just now as well."

"Seems like we have no choice but to fight," Sighed a fishman that looked like a stingray.

"How dare you hurt our brethren!" Cried the octopus.

"Looks like we need to teach these humans the difference between our races, Chu." Said the one that looked like... God knows what. He looked like a creeper though.

"Hehe!" Cried another creepy voice from a fishman that was orange and white striped. He had odd looking spines protruding from his spine and along the length of his arms. If I wasn't wrong, he was meant to be a Lionfish fishman. He was wearing a pair of leather short but no top. He also had a weird looking mouth, his bottom jaw was larger than his top one and poked out. "Fun, fun, fun!"

"Looks like the main force is out to me us," Zoro said with a smirk on his face.

We had slipped out of our hiding spot and made our way back over to Luffy; I was half-tempted to nip the idiot for that last stunt. Some warning would have been nice!

"That was dangerous!" Snapped Sanji as he kicked the back of Luffy's head.

"Are you trying to kill us!" Usopp exclaimed, gripping onto Luffy's arm. I just sent the captain a pissy look before slipping up to stand next to Zoro yet again.

"If this is how it was going to turn out we should have just fought from the start," Sighed the stingray. "Arlong, please just sit right there."

"If we let you fight while that much enraged, Chu, all of Arlong Park will be destroyed!" Said the odd looking one with a wink.

"Hehe! Let's have some fun with these humans!" Cried the Lionfish. He seemed like a psychopath to me... What're the chances that I get stuck with him?

"Take this!" Exclaimed to octopus and he bent over, taking a deep breath. "Shikai Zero…"

"That octopus is doing something," Zoro stated in a bored manner.

"First boil octopus in salt water, slice it up, and add some olive oil and paprika to make an excellent side dish whilst drinking," Sanji muttered as he took a drag of his cigarette.

I sent him a wide eyed glance. He wasn't serious was he? He would cook something that so closely resembled a human? Even if it was evil… I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question.

"Umm, guys. I'm in a bit of a pickle..." Luffy said as calmly as he could.

"TAKOHACHI BLACK**!" I heard the octopus cry out as he shot a huge jet of black ink towards us. Oh, so that's what he was planning.

Zoro, Sanji, Usopp and myself all dived out of the way in time and turned back only to see our captain covered in ink. Oh God! WHAT NOW!

"You dumb-ass!" Zoro screamed at him, echoing my thoughts. "Why didn't you dodge that!"

"AHH!" Luffy cried, bringing his hands up to his eyes. "I can't see anything!"

"LUFFY WATCH OUT!" Usopp warned him as much to my amazement the octopus picked up a large piece of ceiling that had broken in Luffy's earlier attack. He held it up over his head, ready to throw it at Luffy.

"Yeah, that's the problem," Luffy said sheepishly. "I can't move… Or see…"

"What?" Sanji hissed in annoyance, his face scrunching up.

"For God's sake," Zoro said as he face palmed.

'_Luffy,_' I thought mentally in shock. '_You own stupidity amazes even me sometimes._'

"But you're the one who did that to yourself!" Usopp yelled back at Luffy.

"TAKOHACHI BLACK! ON THE.." The octopus cried, getting ready to bring down the ceiling on Luffy's head.

"Huh?" Luffy said dumbly.

"ROCKS***!" He cried as the ceiling impacted and shattered, revealing Sanji standing behind it, his leg raised from just kicking the stone. Phew, crisis avoided.

"Argh, jeez. Looks like I've chosen to follow a dumb-ass for my Captain," Sanji sighed, I was feeling much the same as he him at moment, although I wouldn't leave Luffy to join another pirate crew that currently existed. Luffy was my only Captain and it is going to stay that way.

"Nice one Sanji!" Luffy cried happily, throwing up his arms.

"My feelings exactly," Zoro muttered at Sanji's statement.

"He's amazing!" Usopp yelled.

"But it's still 100 times better than being in a pirate crew that would harm a lady!" Declared the ever chivalrous Sanji.

"For a human you're not half bad," The stingray addressed Sanji. "But a pirate going around shouting chivalrous lines? How half-assed."

"Heh," Was Sanji's only reply.

"Still not yet. My feet aren't budging one bit," Luffy said with gritted teeth. I finally noticed that Usopp had grabbed him under the arms and was pulling him back in an attempt to free him. The only problem though was the fact that all Luffy's legs did was stretch.

"Still?" Usopp cried.

"Would you like to test how half assed my chivalry really is Mr. Fish." Sanji challenged the stingray. "Despite what you may thing, I've spent half my life as a pirate."

"It seems you fools don't understand the level we fishmen are on," He replied. Really now? What about all those guys over there that are knocked out? By one person might I might add.

"What about now?" Usopp asked Luffy.

"Eh, you're only stretching it. My feet are as stuck as ever," Luffy replied lazily as he picked his nose. That idiot! Did he not realize the situation we were all in?

"ARE YOU EVEN TRYING!" Usopp screamed at him.

"You think you can just horse around at Arlong Park!" The octopus snapped at Luffy and Usopp as he picked up another large piece of rock. "I"LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"AGHH!" Usopp screamed in fear and tried to pull Luffy even harder. "Hurry up and get your feet out already!"

I would have stepped in but Zoro choose to do it instead as he suddenly appeared behind the octopus and said, "Hey, octopus. Those guys are busy right now. Why don't you play with me instead?"

"Nyu!" He exclaimed. "Roronoa Zoro! That's right, I forgot! How dare you device me before!"

And with that the octopus swung the rock at Zoro but he dodged it easily.

"Not only that, but you cut down my brethren too!" Octopus snapped at Zoro.

"I don't care about ancient history. It doesn't matter for what reason you want to kill me, the situation is different now…" Zoro smirked as he pulled out his sword. "You guys aren't going to be doing the killing. It's us that's going to be killing you!"

"Good Zoro! I'll let you deal with that octopus!" Usopp declared, sending Zoro a thumb up. My eyes widen as I noticed that he had forgotten something. "CRAP! I ACCIDENTALLY LET GO!"

"AHH!" Luffy cried as his body was flung back to the place his legs were trapped, managing to knock out the creepy looking fishman in the process. "Darn it, I'm back."

"My bad…" Usopp whimpered with tears of fear running down his face. The creeper fishman just climbed to his feet as he glared at Usopp.

"AHHHH!" Usopp screamed as he ran out of Arlong Park, the fishman hot on his heels.

"Looks like you really do want to be killed by me!" The fishman cried as they left the park.

Until this point I had mostly been standing silently, my calculating eyes darting around to watch everyone. I knew that they each had their own battles to do and that they needed to be done for their strength to go up. And that's why I hadn't interfered before now. But now I was standing besides Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy as Arlong stop up and started to advance towards us. We all seemed to be switching positions like some evil game of musical chairs.

"Arlong, I've already asked you not to fight," The stingray reminded him calmly.

"I ain't going to," He dismissed his subordinate.

"I'm gonna kick your…" Luffy started, bringing back his fist before flinging it at Arlong. "ASS!"

Arlong merely moved his head to the side to dodge the blow and then he brought up his hand to catch Luffy's wrist, "Do you honestly think you can win against!"

"And what if we do?" Sanji asked him.

"You bet I think so, you idiot!" Luffy yelled at Arlong. "Now let go of my hand!"

I let out a soft growl to echo Sanji and Zoro, if we didn't think we could win would we be here?

"Seems like he has something to say," Zoro smirked, referring to Arlong.

"No, no," Alrong replied before bending down before Luffy and digging his hand into the ground. He then lifted up Luffy, a huge slab of rock still attached to his feet.

"Why don't we play a game?" Arlong laugh evilly.

"W-What?" Luffy yelped.

"Devil Fruit users are said to be unable to swim. Well, in this situation, not even a non-Devil Fruit user would be able to swim. SHAHAHA!" He continued to laugh.

"Don't tell me!" Zoro exclaimed.

"He's going to throw him into the sea!" Sanji finished for him.

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy said as he drew back his hand. "PISTOL"

He brought it forward and Arlong opened up his mouth before closing it around Luffy's arm. I thought I was the only one that bit!

"GAHH!" Luffy screamed in pain.

"Fool," Arlong teased Luffy.

Luffy responded but bitting down on Arlong's own arm with a cry of, "Take this!"

"How futile," Sighed the stingray.

"AH!" Luffy's cry was muffled by his grip on Arlong's arm, but it didn't stop Arlong from throwing him into the sea. Shit on a monkey's aunt!

"LUFFY!" Zoro cried out.

"You bastard!" Snarled Sanji as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

At the same time Sanji and I charged forward, although I'm not sure what I planned on doing.

"I'll go s-" Sanji started to say but was cut off when Zoro interrupted.

"Wait! You dumb-asses!" He yelled at us and I froze. "Don't act so rashly! Going into the sea is exactly what these guys want! There's only one way to save Luffy right now!"

As much as I hated to admit it he was right…There was three fishmen, not including Arlong, that needed to be beaten. And there was three of us, myself included. They needed me here…Damn!

"You mean we have to beat these guys to a pulp on land first and then jump into the sea?" Sanji questioned as he took a drag of his cigarette. "Fine by me."

"LET'S DO THIS!" Zoro cried.

"Yeah!" Sanji answered him and I let out a bark as well.

"One of these games huh?" Asked the stingray. He was stating to piss me off at how carefree he seemed to be.

"Hey, wait!" Cried the Lionfish. "If you two have your opponents and the rubber guy is in the water who am I meant to fight!"

I took a step forward and let out a low growl, my lips peeling threateningly to flash my pure with teeth. Dear Lord help me, I've picked a fight with a Lionfish. When did I become this stupid? Maybe it was when I was hit by the boat and my brains got knocked around a bit...

"A dog!" He snapped. "Are you kidding me! I wanted to make someone scream and I get stuck with a dog!"

'_Fuck,_' I thought dryly. '_He really is a psychopath._'

"Oh well, I guess I get to see how well a dog can scream then," He said with a sadistic smile.

Isn't this one charming?

I stared up into the eyes of the fishman before me, my tail stiff as all my hairs on it stood up. I hated Lionfish. When I had been Braylie one of my Grandfathers enjoyed fishing and would take us kids with him sometimes. We used to catch Lionfish all the time; they weren't worth keeping. To my Grandfather they were a pain in the ass and he used to just cut the whole fishing line off so we didn't have to get close to one. And that was annoying because you couldn't go fishing without at least catching one Lionfish if not several! My Grandfather told us that he had got stung by one once, and that it was the worst pain he has ever experienced in his life. My grandfather is no sook either, he is about 6'1 and his wide set shoulders and lots of muscles from working hard for most of his life. He said that once they stung you the pain was almost automatic, and where it stung you starts to swell up like a balloon. Also there is nothing to counteract the venom, they only way to stop it would be to cut off the afflicted limb or put it in boiling water. My Grandfather had said he had considered actually cutting off his hand when he was stung because the pain was that bad, and that was a lot coming from him.

So the fact I was standing here in the _One Piece_ world facing off with a Lionfish fishman annoyed me; Lionfish were like the things of my nightmares from the sea. I could deal with sharks, eels, jellyfish, stingrays, and so on. The only two things I hated were Lionfish and Blue Ringed Octopus, but I supposes it's better to face a Lionfish then a Blue Ringed Octopus.

Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Sanji and Zoro sprang into action without hesitating for a second.

"So, little Doggy, what can you do?" I heard the Lionfish purr at me in a tone that was not too friendly. I just kept my gaze on him, waiting to see what_ he_ could do. I wasn't about to make the first move just yet.

I heard him sigh and mutter, "Why don't I ever get the fun fights?"

Oh, indeed, why? You crazy bastard.

He took a step towards me lazily as he let out a sigh, flexing his fists as he went. He had a bored look on his face, he had no idea what he was up against though. I hadn't been sitting around lazily on the boat recently, before the whole Bartie incident I got some practice in.

* * *

><p><em><strong>*Flashback*<strong>_

_I watched with curious eyes as Zoro moved through some of his basic exercises, his sword neatly slicing throw the air as he swung it. I also watched as his feet danced over the surface of the deck fluidly with every move he made. He was here practicing right now, so why was I just sitting on my ass watching? I need to practice and train too if I am going to survive in this crew_

_But how should I train myself? I don't know what to do; all I do is dodge and bite. I can't really work on my biting so I should be working on my dodging. Oh ho ho, I have an idea!_

_I quickly crept up to Zoro as he kept moving through his paces, I'm sure he was glad to have more room on the Going Merry. I kept my mischievous lighted eyes on the bandanna that was tied up on Zoro's head, tensing up my muscles. When I saw the right moment I pounced straight at Zoro, my front feet touching down on his shoulder. I saw his eyes widen as he noticed me but I ignored him, my teeth lashing out in a flash of white. My teeth quickly snagged into his bandanna as I threw myself away from him. I narrowly managed to avoid a slice of Zoro's sword as I pushed away from him, my eyes widening. He was damn fast! I landed on the deck lightly and spun around to face Zoro, his bandanna in held prisoner in-between my teeth._

"_Mamori…" He hissed at me, obviously not really sure what I was doing. I just danced back a few paces, letting out a muffled bark at him._

_He took a step towards me and held out his hand, "Give it back."_

_Just gave him a look that all but said, 'Are you stupid?' and then darted cheekily past him before spinning around to face him again. He just turned and stared at me with an irritated face, his eye giving a slight twitch. I looked at him in the eyes before shifting my gaze to his sword in one hand and then back up to his eyes. He gave me another confused look and I just repeated the motion._

"_The hell…" He muttered in a confused tone. Gah, this was like one fucked up game of charades! _

_I decided that sending glances wasn't working so instead I charged back him and he lifted up his sword and point it at me in annoyance. I just ran straight at his sword before ducking under it at the last second and dancing away from him again._

"_Do you want me to attack me with my swords of something!" He snapped but his eyes widen after he said he. He finally got it! I hope anyway. I let out a loud bark but kept the bandanna in my grip. "Stupid mutt."_

_He then took a few steps towards me and hesitantly swung his sword at me, missing on purpose. I could have rolled my eyes at that point but instead I jumped away from the swing and threw my head into the side of his knee. He staggered away a step and then looked back at me with a look that said he did finally get it after all._

"_You want to train with me?" Give the man a prize! I let out several more loud barks, throwing my head back as I did so._

_He took that as a yes before smirking and stating, "I won't go easy on you then."_

_I never asked him to._

_***End of Flashback***_

* * *

><p>That went on for a few more nights and let me tell you, Zoro is a slave driver! I did learn pretty quickly from him though. Before I had just been flinging myself around wildly but now I had learnt that there were much better ways to fight. And I had built on my endurance slightly; bloody slave driver.<p>

The fishman continued to walk towards me and I kept a neutral façade on, my ears twitching. All I had to do was not get stung by his spines and I would hopefully be fine. I briefly considered using my new weapon that the cloak guy had given me, but it would be more of a handicap then anything at the moment. I had no idea how to use it, so I might as well stick to what I am good at.

He finally stopped once he was right in front me and I tilted my head up to look him, one of my doggy eyebrows quirking itself.

* * *

><p>*Gum Gum Pinwheel<p>

**Zero Visibility: Hachi Ink Jet (literally: "Zero Visibility: Octopus Hachi Black")

***Hachi Ink Jet on the Rocks (literally: "Octopus Hachi Black on the Rock


	15. Flying Dog

"Not running away little puppy?" The freak asked with a sadistic laugh.

In response I just flashed him one of my toothy grins. And with that said I then launched myself straight at him, the dome of my head smashing into his crotch. I presumed that fishman have a package just like normal men, but I couldn't tell because the Lionfish was wearing jean-like shorts.

He was not expecting that move so he let out a girlish scream of pain and fell to his knees, both his hands grasping his crotch. Without waiting for an invitation I jumped again and being careful not to get too close to his spines that ran down his backbone and his arms, I latched my teeth onto his shoulder. My teeth sunk into his skin and I tasted blood; blood and fish. It wasn't pleasant at all.

It caused him to let out and scream of pain and I lifted up my front paws, bracing them against his chest. I saw his fist coming at my front the corner of my eyes so I sunk my teeth in even further and using my front paws I pushed back. My teeth managed to slice through his flesh as I pulled back, leaving long bloody marks on his shoulder. I felt his fist go whizzing past my head as I jumped back, landing nimbly on my paws. I danced back a few more paces, my eyes not leaving my opponent. Bet the fucker didn't expect that.

He glared at me as he stood back up to his feet and I just ran my tongue along my bloody teeth tauntingly. He should never underestimate an opponent.

Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw Zoro collapse on the ground and my eyes widened as I watched him. Shit! He was still hurt from the fight with Hawk-Eyes wasn't he?

"Just as I thought!" Sanji cried out, also pausing his battle to look at Zoro. "The wounds he received from Hawk-Eyes still haven't…"

"BROTHER!" I heard Johnny and Yosaku call from the entrance of Arlong Park.

"This is my chance!" The octopus cried and proceeded to punch the ceiling that he had somehow been clinging onto. I wasn't sure how he got up there, but what the hell. He then jumped away from it, landing on the other side of Zoro.

"Meet you doom as you get crushed Roronoa Zoro!" He cried, holding his six arms out wide.

Zoro just stood back up to his feet, calmly grabbed the back of the octopus's shirt and flung him under the falling ceiling.

"Why don't you get crushed instead?" He grunted in pain, his head tipped back. Shit, it wasn't looking good for Zoro.

Zoro the collapsed on the ground yet again as he hissed, "Damn it. Of all the time… Why now?"

"His wounds are too deep! They haven't healed yet!" Yosaku yelped in worry for Zoro.

"Obviously! It's a wound that would disable a man for half a year, if not kill him! Was he enduring the pain all this time?" Johnny hissed.

"I knew something was up when he acted normal after receiving those wounds!" Sanji inputted as he gritted his teeth. "That moron!"

My own eyes widened as Sanji's opponent attacked him whilst he was distracted by punching him in the stomach. I watch as he went flying back and went straight through a wall, '_DAMN! ZORO! SANJI!'_

"DOKU KASUI!*" Another voice called out and my head snapped around in time to see the Lionfish heading straight for me, his elbow held out in front of him.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as I began to throw myself forward but his speed was beyond human and I was too late to move. A spike that was attached to his elbow dove straight into the flesh of the top of my back right leg. I let out a screaming yelp as it felt like I had been stabbed with a butcher's knife; his spikes were not small in the least! The blow sent me tumbling to the ground and I rolled over a few times, away from the fishman.

When I finally came to a stop I was lying on my left side, my chest heaving in and out as a shocking pain shot straight up my leg and deep into my spine. I left out another yelping scream, the pain was so immense that it blocked out all my other sense as I withered in pain on the ground. God damn it! Did him being a fishman make is spine more potent or was I that much of a sook!

"Hehe! What do ya know! Doggies can scream!" I heard a taunting voice laugh and I also dully heard someone screaming my name. I think it was Johnny or Yosaku?

'_SON OF A BITCH!_' I screamed mentally as the pain continued to wrack my body, seeming to spread further by the second. '_MONKEY COCK SUCKER! MAY THE FLEAS OF A THOUSAND CAMELS INFEST HIS ARMPITS!_'

Apparently when I was in pain I cursed. A lot.

After a few more seconds of withering in pain I finally laid still, my eyes squeezed closed as my head pounded. I had no idea the Lionfishes toxin hurt this much; no wonder we cut the fuckers off the line without touching them!

"They have all been taken care of Arlong," I heard a voice state calmly as I floated in my painful haze. "What should we do with Roronoa Zoro?"

"Just throw him in the sea. Couldn't even put up a fight… How boring," I heard a voice reply. "Hey, Hachi! Wake up! How long are you going to be sleeping!"

"Nnnnnnuuuuuuuuuuuu," A voice screamed out and I heard rocks tumbling or smashing together. Wasn't the stupid octopus dead yet! "You've really pissed me off! I'm going to butcher you! Did you know that aside from one man, I, Hachi of the 6 sword style, am the number one swordsman on fishman island! Even if the heavens were flipped over, you'd have no chance of beating me!"

"Who are you trying to fight Hachi?" Another voice said.

"Hehe, your toy's already broken," Said the voice that I could easily recognized as the Lionfish.

"6 Sword style? Don't make me laugh," Said a voice that I don't think I've never been so pleased to hear. Zoro was okay! Well… He was alive anyway; I'm not too sure about the "okay" part... "Just what's so great about that? Let me tell you something little octopus! I've got a man I have to meet… No matter what! And until I meet him, not even the grim reaper can take my life away!"

"Yosaku! Johnny! Lend me your swords!" Zoro asked. "Allow me to show you my 3 sword style."

"You got it!" The two partners replied.

"I'll kill you Roronoa Zoro!" The voice, I'm assuming is Hachi, screamed.

"Hey, Mamori!" Zoro called out to me and upon hearing my name I surfaced from my pain haze. "You're not dead already are you?"

'_The fuck I am!_' I snapped back as I slowly cracked open my eyes to glare at him. I then slowly lifted up my head and glanced back at my leg. I saw one of the Lionfish's spines sticking out of my leg. Ouch, it was thicker than a lead pencil! No wonder it hurt like a bitch when getting stabbed. And imagine how much toxin that thick bugger could hold.

"Oh~ Lookie! My toy is still alive!" The Lionfish cooed happily as I dragged myself back to my feet. I took special care not to lean too much weight on my back right leg, it still hurt like a fucker! And the pain is meant to last 24 hours, I'm so screwed.

I turned my head around, gripping the spine carefully between my teeth. I flinched as the spine moved in my flesh, the area was already swollen and holding the spine in tightly. I took a deep breath through my nose before yanking back roughly and dislodging the spike. I muffled a whimper as more pain wracked my body. Fuck I hate Lionfish.

I then turned my attention back to my opponent but, without really knowing why, I hesitated before grabbing the slim knife out of its holster and gripped it in between my teeth like Zoro. The blade was about 23 cm long and had a 5 cm stretch of sharp edge on the reverse side at the top. The leather strips that had been platted around the handle made the knife so much easier to grip my teeth.

It felt more comfortable in my grip then I thought possible and I couldn't help but pull my lips back in an impish smirk as I locked eyes with the Lionfish.

'_Bring it on bitch,_' I challenged cheekily. Normally I would think through plans in a fight and be careful with my moves but at the moment I was sorta pissed. The pain was still coursing through my body and making too much rational thought impossible.

"Hehe, I wonder if doggies can fly," He asked himself with a sadistic smile. What the hell is wrong with this one?

He launched himself towards me and I jumped out of the way, still not putting much weight on my right back leg. I watched him punch the area I had been standing seconds before. The ground shattered where his fist came in contact with it and like a ripple the cracks spread. The ground under my paws shattered too and I jumped up into the air to try and avoid flying bits of cement. I felt something latch onto the back of my scruff and I flicked my eyes to side only to see the damn Lionfish. We were both in mid-air and he held my scruff in his arm and he starting pulling me in towards him. I jerked my head around and sunk my new blade into his arm viciously just below his elbow joint. He let out a cry of pain as blood gathered in the wounded area but he kept pulling me towards him as we fell. He pulled me straight past him and he landed on the ground first. Without giving me a chance to touch down he spun around and with all of his strength he flung my body back into the air. In a last ditched attempt I tightened my teeth on my knife but it just slipped free of his flesh and I went flying with the knife still in my jaws.

I went flying over the side of a wall and all I could think was, '_Fuck, this guy can throw pretty damn well._'

I went soaring past the wall and over a dirt track, the colors blurring past under me. I felt my body flip over in the air and I felt weird; it was sort of peaceful flying through the air. If you ignore the fact I could easily die when I land, that is.

Lucky for me, though, where I crashed down happened to be right into the water of one of the rice fields. The water managed to slow my fall a bit, although it was much like a slap in face and the mud cushioned my fall even more. It knocked the wind out of me but the cold water was enough to shock me so that I tried to jump straight back out. I stumbled a bit on my paws as the thick mud caused my grip to slip. By some miracle I had also managed to keep my grip on the knife and I wasn't letting go of it any time soon.

Once I got myself stable again I paused to assess myself for any injuries. It was hard to tell because of the pain still coursing through my body from his toxins, but nothing felt broken. Jeez, I had been lucky lately.

I limped out of the water though, dragging myself back into firm ground as I shook out my coat. I've never flown before but there was a first time for everything right?

"Well what do ya know! Dogs can fly!" Cried out a voice gleefully that I wish I never had to hear again. Does this fucker not give up?

I lifted up my head to glare at him as water dripped of my coat and onto my muzzle. I have had just about enough of this guy; it was time I show this guy that a dog can beat down a fishman's ass!

I ran towards the guy, my tail flying behind me as I ran determinedly. I used my back right leg this time, even though it was a little stiff I had gotten used to the pain somewhat.

When I got close to the guy I feinted to the left and ran straight past him as he held his left arm across his chest, his spines sticking out. He began to turn around to follow my movement but I ran behind him and around to his right side, my knife flashing in the light. I dived straight at his right calf, my knife slicing the flesh there as blood spluttered out. I heard him cry out in pain and he fell to one knee and I dance out in front of him teasingly.

He glared and crossed over both of his arms, the spikes facing towards me as he cried out, "TONDEIRU KASUI!**"

As he shouted that the spikes on his arm shout out from his skin and headed straight for me as flying projectiles.

'_Fuck a monkey up the ass with a knife! I didn't know he could do that!_' I screamed mentally as I tried to dodge the spikes. A normal fucking Lionfish could not do that, so why the fuck this guy could was beyond me!

There would have had to been over 20 spikes coming towards me at different angels and speeds and I much as I had hoped to, it proved impossible to dodge them all. I slipped to the left to dodge two, then to the right to dodge three and then I dropped to the ground to dodge six that flew over my head. I jumped to my feet and temporally forgot about my back left leg as I put weight on it. It collapsed under me as pain shot through my body and my back half sagged to the ground. I yelped in pain from the earlier injury as then my yelp escalated to a screaming cry as three more spikes found their marks. Two slipped into my left shoulder and another buried itself straight into my chest. The loud screaming sound I made died out after about 10 seconds as the pain became too much and my whole body sagged to the ground. Once again I found myself withering on the ground, but this I couldn't even hear noises from the background. Everything was black and painful, it hurt to even think! I could feel my chest squeezing closed as the toxin seeped into my chest and began to cause the muscles around my lungs to swell.

I have no idea how long I laid on the ground as my body twitch and withered from pain as I struggled to breath and swallow down the pain, but I did finally manage to drag myself out of my fit. To hell if I was going to give up now! These fuckers hurt Nami and all the villagers. They have wreaked havoc for years and will continue to do so if we don't stop them! I need to get off my fucking lazy ass and do something about it! I can't keep giving up when the fights get hard, I need to suck it up and keep going to I will! I've already lost more times then I'd like to count, I need to pull my weight!

When my new found resolve I snapped my eyes open and locked my gaze onto the Fishman. I saw him walking lazily away, maybe he thought I was dead or dying? Well it's his mistake for turning his back on me! I quietly dragged myself to my feet, stuffing a whimper back down my throat as I straightened myself up. I needed to get moving before my left leg swelled up too much to move, that and my lungs. I scooped up my knife that I had dropped at some stage and bit down on it as a release for the pain I was feeling. I took a deep breath in through my nose, my chest shooting with pain as it expanded. I narrowed my eyes in determination and started to trot in a limping gait towards him. He didn't notice me by some miracle and when I was about five meters away from him I bolted into a sprint. He heard me then and turned around in time to see me launch myself into the air. Just as I reached his body he had turned around and brought up his arms to protect himself. Too bad for him that last attack left arms without any spikes and I just let my front feet land on his arm. My head shot forward like a striking snake and turned itself to the side at the last second. I squeezed my eyes closed as the motion began to carry us both backwards and then I felt a splash of warm blood spray across my face and chest. The smell swamped my nose and the blood stained my fur as the knife drove home and true into his throat, slicing its way across his neck. He let out a gurgling sound as he hit the ground and I quickly pushed myself away him, stumbling out of his way. I only got a few steps before my back legs fell out from under and I sat dumbly on the ground. The knife I had used on him clattered to the ground beside him and I just continued to stare blankly as I saw a line of blood come out of his mouth and down his cheek.

I… I think… I just k-killed someone… Fuck. I had just _killed _someone! As in, bam! Dead! Never to come back! Fuck. I never thought I'd kill someone… That was not on my agenda! It just happened in the moment! All the pain had confused me and my anger blinded me… I didn't mean to kill him…

I noticed at that point I had started to hyperventilate and I tried to calm myself down. It was bad enough the toxin was in my lungs and making it hard to breathe, I didn't need to freak out and make it worse. So what if I killed the guy? He's killed others? Right? Blah, that wasn't a good enough reason to kill. He hurt Nami though, was that a good enough reason? I hope so, for my sanity's sake at least.

After a few more moments that I used to mentally calm myself down even more I slowly stood up. This time I didn't hold in the yelp of pain as I moved my body, that fucking toxin in my blood was a killer! I then began the long process off removing the other three stingers, yelping and whimpering in pathetic noises as I did so. After that was done I thought it best to get my knife back so I walked over to the fishman. I hesitated in getting too close to him, but I did in the end. I gently picked up my knife in my grip and had to swallow a sick feeling as the taste of his blood filled my mouth again.

I, on instinct, bowed my head and closed my eyes as I stood next to the body. I said a quick prayer mentally and asked for forgiveness. Were there even Gods in the OP world? I don't know, but it was worth a try anyway.

I think my sanity was more at risk than my soul though at this time because I had to go back and help Luffy and the others now. Even if I did feel like shit. Lord help me.

* * *

><p>*Poison Spike<p>

**Flying Spike


	16. Water Bullets

I stumbled slowly up to the villagers, Jonny and Yosaku. They were all watching something intently through the broken wall. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach so I tried to hurry up.

"Am… I... Dreaming?" I heard Yosaku stutter in shock. "What did that shark guy do?"

"I don't know…" Johnny muttered in reply. "I thought he only threw some water, but it knocked those two down and had them coughing up blood!"

Fuck! That didn't sound good at all! I had no time to be limping pathetically like a kicked dog, my pain could be nothing compared to theirs if they were coughing up blood!

I moved from my limping pace to full out sprint in a few second, dashing in between to the villagers as I went. I heard a few of them exclaim in shock as I ran past Yosaku and Johnny and bolted straight towards my friends.

"MAMORI!" I heard the two men cry as I ran past them but I ignored it; now was not the time!

I kept running, fury boiling in my veins as I saw Zoro bleeding and spread eagle on the ground. Next to him was Sanji on his hands and knees coughing; fuck Arlong! Sanji began to stand up and I heard calls from behind us.

"Brother cook! Don't stand up!"

"What happened to Luffy! Don't tell me he is dead!"

Sanji ignored them though as he coughed up a bit more blood before standing up.

"I don't even need to touch you pathetic humans," Alrong sighed. "Just a little water is more than enough for you…This is the difference in power between our races."

"Shut the hell up!" Sanji snapped and swung his leg at Arlong with a cry of, "POITRINE SHOT!"*

Arlong dodged it easily and flung some water at Sanji that managed to knock him over. I darted past Sanji as he slammed into the ground; my fury directed at the damn shark. Somehow when I saw my friends in trouble my pain no longer seemed important and I had more energy than I did before. Cliché, no?

I flung myself towards him at an insane speed, slamming into his chest with a grunt on my part. He seemed to stumble back one step and I lashed out with my teeth. My fangs clamped around his left bicep but I didn't even pierce his skin with my teeth! What the fuck! I was just left hanging off his arms and my teeth clung uselessly onto his skin.

I saw him look down at me with a sneer on his face and he brought up his knee to slam me in the chest. The small amount of air I had managed to keep in my chest before seemed to be smacked it in a rush. I saw black spots in my vision as I dropped my grip and fell to the ground uselessly.

"Shaha! Even this dog did better than you," He taunted Sanji and Zoro; what a dick!

I quickly scrambled up to my feet, my body feeling numb and far away in pain. I felt like I was no longer in control of my body, it just acted on its own as natural instincts took over. I didn't even bother to get my knife out as I jumped at him again, my teeth flashing wildly. I didn't close to him this time though as some of those water bullet looking things came slamming into my chest in the same spot he had kneed me earlier. I was knocked back against the ground again, skidding past Zoro and Sanji. I hacked up a dry doggish cough and felt something come out of my mouth and it was closely follow by the taste of my own blood. Fuck, I was coughing up blood too now? Now I see why Zoro and Sanji were coughing up blood… That attack hurt like a mother fucker.

"Hurry up and die already," I heard Arlong sneer down at us. "It's not as if your lives are worth anything…"

The fuck they weren't! I tried to scrambled back to my feet, yet again I felt I was floating in my body and the only thing I could feel was the damn pain. Where is the damn aspirin when you need it?

"ARLONG!" Nami screamed as she arrived on the scene. I looked at her with wide eyes as I stumbled up to my paws once again.

"Nami!" I heard Sanji coo from the sitting position he had managed to pull himself into.

"Nami…" Arlong said with a vicious look on his face. "Great timing, I was just about to kill these pirates… What brings you here?"

"I came here…" She snarled in anger. "To kill you!"

"To kill me!" Alrong exclaimed before he bursting out in mocking laughter. "Shahaha! In the eight years you've been with me, how many times have you tried to kill me? Either by assassination, poison or surprise attacks… BUT DID YOU EVER SUCCEED? Shouldn't you know by now that it's impossible for inferior humans to kill me!"

"Listen well," He continued as his face turned into a serious glare. "I'm not going to kill you, and I won't let you escape either. I'll have you be my cartographer forever! But as you know I'm an understanding guy, I don't want to chain down a young woman if possible. That's why I'd rather have my cartographer out of your own will. Other than you, I plan killing everyone here right now. But, if you join the Arlong pirates again and continue drawing maps for my crew officers, I'll specially allow for the lives of those Cocoyashi villagers to be spared! I can't say the same for these guys and that mutt however; they've pissed me off too much. So, which side will you choose to side with…?"

I watched as he kicked Sanji in the side again and I stumbled forward in a blind charge again, but this time I didn't even have the energy to jump off the ground. Arlong merely kicked me away from him and I yelped as I thrown back yet again. Evil fucker! If I had wanted to listen to an asshole like him I would have farted!

"Will you choose to side with me and save your fellow villagers?" Arlong questioned Nami. "Or will you side with these weaklings and attempt to fight me? But of course, seeing as your most dependable fighters have been reduced to this sad state, your inevitable tragedy is only too easy to see! So, tell me Nami. Are you with me? Or them?"

I cracked my eyes open and glared at Arlong as best I could from my position on the ground. I wish Luffy would hurry up already!

I flicked my eyes to the side and saw Nami turned around to address her fellow villagers, "I'm sorry everyone! But would you please die with me?"

"ALRIGHT!" I heard them all roar and a shadow of a smile crossed my face. They were all brave souls, but I doubt any of them will be dying anytime soon if we could help it. I don't think a huge massacre was part of the story line; I'd need major counseling if it was though.

I decided if they were going to risk their lives that I might as well drag my ass off the pavement one more time. I stumbled to my feet and then staggered a few steps sidewards as I tried to get my balance.

"I see… So you all choose to die…" Alrong hissed at us.

"BFFFFF!" A loud sound came from the other side of the wall and was followed by a spout of water. Please tell me that was Luffy!

"What!" Arlong snapped in anger.

"It worked! Now all I have to do if free his legs!" Sanji declared. Idiot, now Arlong knew your plan!

"Oh, so that's how it was," Zoro groaned as he rolled over in an attempt to push himself up.

I saw Zoro push himself to his knees before extending his arm and making a thumbs down sign at Nami. What the hell did that mean?

"Zoro…" I heard Nami whisper in relief.

Zoro then placed his sword in his mouth and hissed at Sanji, "30 seconds, I won't last any longer than that."

I stepped up besides the swords man and pulled back my gums to snarl at the shark. My tongue flicked in and out of my teeth as my tail stood on end. I saw Zoro glance at me from the corner of his eye and he smirked at me.

"That's more than enough time!" Sanji remarked as he dived into the water to go help Luffy.

"There shouldn't be a fountain over there…" Arlong muttered in suspicion. "Which means that rubber brat is…!"

Arlong turned his body to face the way of the water spout, his face flashing hard due to his anger. Zoro quickly slipped in his way to block his path though.

"Don't pay any heed to that," He said, his three swords now in position. "It's nothing at all you half-fish mutant!"

"Didn't I already tell you not to call me that Roronoa Zoro…" Arlong purred as he ran his tongue along his teeth.

I quickly dove around the back of Alrong as he raised his hands and I was interrupted by a cry of "Tamago Boshi!**" and something splattered all over Alrong's hand.

"I'll back you up Zoro!" A voice I recognized as Usopp's cried out. "So fight without any worries!"

"Brother Usopp, is that you? You are so brave!" Cried Yosaku.

"Are you alright! Where are you! What a bold entrance your making!" Johnny joined in. Idiots! I think the three of them are all a lost cause.

I spotted Usopp hiding in the hole in the wall that Sanji had created when he went flying through it. He was using the wall as a shield and only his head was sticking out.

"So that's where you are!" Cried the two partners.

"Usopp!" Nami yelled happily as she spotted him.

"Nami! I, all alone, took down one of their officers! All by myself!" He boasted proudly and I couldn't help but smirk.

"Nyu! I won't let you do as you please!" Cried the octopus as he pushed himself back up his feet. That guy was still alive! This was just getting beyond ridiculous!

I heard some of the guys cheering for Zoro in the background as Arlong hissed unhappily, "It's said that the sea robs the Devil Fruit users of not only their abilities, but their energy as well. The fact that rubber brat isn't dead by now means that some has been unfairly interfering in our game!"

"Unfairly interfering?" Zoro questioned him. "I personally never considered this game fair from the start." I let out a loud bark to echo his thoughts.

"Even so, I still need to see who has been doing the interfering," Arlong stated blandly.

"HEY ARLONG! OVER HERE!" Usopp cried out, what does that idiot think he is doing! "USOPP WAGOMU!**" And with that said he pulled back a rubber band and his thumb and did… Nothing?

"You standing before me means that you want me to kill you first Roronoa Zoro?" Arlong continued, ignoring Usopp.

"Now, Zoro attack!" I heard Usopp crying from the background. What the hell was he doing?

"I'll break that nose you're so proud of!" Yelled Zoro as he dove towards Arlong, swinging one of his swords against Arlong's nose. The blade only stopped when it hit his nose though, not even cutting through it!

"Fool! It's because my nose won't break that I'm so proud of it!" Alrong hissed. "Perhaps if you were in better health you might have left a little scar on it!"

"Look over there!" Johnny cried suddenly.

"Ahh! That octopus is back up!" Yosaku yelped. They only just noticed! Oh, right. Dog hearing.

"DAMN I THOUGHT THAT RUBBER BAND MIGHT HAVE HIT ME!" He cried as he pulled out a flinching position.

"WHAT!" A bunch of people cried in disbelief.

"Hah! That's exactly what I was aiming for!" Usopp said even after he had been on the people yelping in shock before.

"But you shouted Arlong…" Someone else muttered. My motto is if it works, then don't question it.

"Octopus…" I heard Zoro hiss unhappily.

"I won't let you bastards have you way Roronoa Zoro!" He cried.

I figured that since Zoro was occupied with Arlong I could see what I could do about the octopus. I dashed past Zoro and Arlong, my paws flying over the broken cement as I bounded erratically.

I almost reached the octopus at the same time he yelled, "I'll kill that friend of yours that just went into the sea!"

Like hell he will! At the same time Hachi dove into the water I jumped and latched onto his left ankle, my teeth sinking into his flesh like hooks to hold me there. Unfortunately I was too late to keep us on dry land and I went diving into the water and was dragged down by my grip on the fishman's ankle.

I felt the water rushing around us as the octopus continued to dive at an insane speed, I don't even think he noticed that I was attached to his ankle!

"DIE, DIE, DIE!" I heard him cry under the water as we got closer to Sanji and Nojiko who was down in the water too. I watch in horror as Nojiko placed herself in front of Sanji, her arms spread out at the same time Hachi attacked.

"TAKOYAKI PUNCH*!" He cried as he began to let his fists fly.

'_NO!_' I screamed mentally in horror and dug my teeth in even further to the point I could feel them grinding against his bones.

"NYU!" He suddenly cried, his fists stopping as his wounds seemed to spurt blood everywhere in the water. Taking it as my opportunity I dropped my grip on his leg and propelled myself straight up in the water. I came straight up and smacked the top of my skull as hard as I could against the back of Hachi's skull.

I watched victoriously through my fading vision as Hachi gave another cry but his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he passed out and began to sink. My victory was short lived as I felt the last of my breath escaping my lungs, my mouth filling with water. Everything started to turn black at that point, the pain my body was already in and the harsh punishment I was putting it through had finally taken its toll. My body began to sink slowly as the last strand of my consciousness snapped.

* * *

><p>I felt something pushing against my chest and every time I felt it my pain would increase. It was damn annoying, I wish it would just stop! I tried to open my eyes to tell who ever it was to fuck off, but I felt something rushing into my mouth. I gagged and opened my mouth as I felt myself coughing up liquid.<p>

'_That was fucking gross,_' I decided once I had finished coughing up what I can only presume was water.

I then cracked my eyes open only to find myself on solid ground with Nojiko and Sanji looming over me. I blinked owlishly a few times as I rolled over to lay on my stomach trying to regain my wits. My body was still being wracked with pain thanks to the Lionfish toxin, and it was even worse them before. My chest still felt like a lead weight was laid on it and I don't think nearly drowning helped at all.

"Ah, good. You're alive," I heard Sanji muttered as both he and Nojiko backed off and settled themselves down against the wall.

"If he dies you'll all be killed," Sanji said lazily. What the hell was he talking about?

"And it will also be the end for East Blue," Nojiko sighed, although she didn't seem that worried.

"Yes…" Muttered Mr. Stiches.

I lazily lifted up my head, stuffing a whimper back down my throat. I need to stop being so pathetic. I looked around I saw Luffy was now facing off with Arlong. Oh… About time.

My body felt like it had been run over by a truck and my fur was so wet it felt like I had blanket laid on me. I slowly began to drag myself over to Sanji and he looked down at me curiously. I dropped my head in his lap with a sigh as I squeezed my eyes closed. I then reached out blindly, licking his hand in thanks for saving me and then before he could kick me off him, I let my consciousness slip again.

* * *

><p>I was jolted roughly awake by a loud crashing sound and I found myself being shoved back in the water. I sunk under the surface a bit but a hand that clutched the back of my neck pulled me back up the surface. I snapped open my eyes, looking around in shock as I spluttered. That was a hell of a wake up call.<p>

"LUFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" I heard someone scream and I saw that Arlong's tower had collapsed! Where we had been sitting just before was covered in rubble, so that's why we were in the water. Sanji was kind enough to drag me along with him when they jumped in the water to escape the falling rubble. Fuck, and I bet I was almost dry before too.

"Which one of them won!" Sanji cried as he finally let go of me.

"After that destruction I can't possibly imagine…" Nojiko whispered in shock. Well, I guess it wasn't every day you saw two people destroying a building.

My eyes widened happily as I saw Luffy push the rubble off himself as he stood at the top of the pile.

"NAMI!" He cried out loudly for all to hear. "YOU'RE MY NAKAMA, GOT IT!"

"He did it Nojiko!" Sanji cried as he lunged at Nojiko to hug her. Too bad for him she jumped at Mr. Stitches and clung onto him stead, causing Sanji to grab air.

"Gen!" She exclaimed happily with a bright smile on her face.

"I feel like I'm dreaming…" Mr. Stitches muttered. "I never believed such a day would come…"

"ARLONG PARK HAS FALLEN!" I heard the villagers crying out as the celebrated.

Thank God it was finally over! Luffy kicks ass! And now I want to go back to the boat and have a nice long nap, is that too much to ask for? After I dry off first of course.

"THAT'S ENOUGH CELEBRATING!" I heard an annoying voice call as I swam over to the ledge and climbed out of the water. I quickly shook out my coat and trotted towards where everyone else was. "Chi, chi, chi!"

"What a lucky day it is for me today. I'd like to thank you all for showing me a most exhilarating battle," The voice continued as I got closer to place they were. I couldn't see anyone yet but I had a fair idea who was saying that. It was the bloody mouse. "Whether by sheer luck or not, I'd have never guessed that the fishmen could be defeated by a bunch of no-name pirates."

I turned the corner in time to see the mouse marine raise his arm towards the villagers and my friends. He had several dozen other marines behind him, all with their weapons out. Mother fucker! Did this day ever end?

"But thanks to you, the money that I had to hand over to Arlong, as well as all the riches of Arlong Park now belongs to me!" He continued to say in his cocky voice. Like fuck it was though, it was the villagers money! "So throw down your arms! I, Captain Nezumi of the 16th branch of marines shall hereby take credit for your victory!"

'_Hell no!_' I hissed as I stumbled up beside Johnny and Yosaku, at least those two were in pretty good health, all things considered.

"AGHHHHHH!" The captain suddenly screamed as Zoro appeared behind him and grabbed him by his shoulder. The rest of the marines that were backing him up scattered as well with cries of fear.

"Zoro!" Usopp yelped.

"It ain't nice to be such a wet blanket when people are busy celebrating," He growled at the marine.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Figuring that the other guys could handle the dumb-asses I sat backwards on my haunches. I whimpered a bit as my swollen limbs had to bend into uncomfortable positions. Fucking Lionfish.

* * *

><p>Several minutes later found all the marines in a pile, each of them covered in a set of impressive bruises. Sanji, Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp stood before them, each thankfully looking alive at least.<p>

"Go ahead! Lay eben one binger on me; Ib yu dare! I swear yu won't ged away widdit!" The captain mumbled in pain.

"Is his mouth still alive?" Sanji muttered as he scratched his head.

I watched silently, still sitting beside Johnny and Yosaku as Nami walked up to Luffy and popped his straw hat back on his head. She then walked past him and up to the marine captain. She bent down in front of him, patting his cheek.

"This is for you shooting Nojiko and defiling Bellemere's tangerine fields..." She said sweetly before standing back up.

"Huh?" He grunted in confusion.

**CRACK**

She smacked him straight across the face with her pole and he went flying back across the ground. Serves the fucker right.

"Thanks Nami!" Nojiko said with a smirk. "I feel better already."

"He still needs about 100 more beatings!" Mr. Stitches huffed as he gritted his teeth. I was inclined to agree.

At that pointed I started to feel faint again and I squeezed my eyes closed in pain. My body seemed to sway and I fell against someone's legs, not even bothering to open my eyes.

"Oi! Mamori! You okay?" I heard Yosaku asked me in worry. I just made a grunting noise and let my tail thump against the ground a few times in a wag. I would be fine, I just need some pain meds and some rest. Some counseling would be nice too.

* * *

><p>*Chest Shot<p>

** Egg Star

** Usopp Rubber Band

* Literally means "Flaming Octopus Punch" or in Viz Media and Funimation, "Octopus Fritter Frenzy"


	17. Off With Your Head

**Woot! Here if the next chapter guys! Enjoy. And thanks you to any who reviewed my story, favourited it or put it on story alert. It means a lot to me and helps me keep going with writing this story. Thanks to praeses, my beta. She goes out of her way to help me when writing new chapters and spell check over what I have written so that I put out a better quality product for you guys to read.**

**Anyway, happy reading and I hope you all have a wonderful day! :)**

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><p>The island had been partying for three days! It was bloody insane if you ask me, although they had a good reason to celebrate. Too bad for me because I hated parties with a passion. I hated the loud noises and it was made so much worse now that I had the sharp hearing of a dog. I also hated the huge crowds of people; even as Braylie I hated crowds. I had slight demophobia when I was human, which was annoying for me as well. I could only stand large crowds of people if I knew all them personally. It made school a living hell for me.<p>

After the huge fight everyone went and got their wounds treated, but I managed to slip away. I had no serious injuries; just a bit of bruising and I few small holes from the spines. The worst thing was the pain from the toxin but I knew the doctor could do nothing for it, so there was no point going to him. Also he was a doctor, not a veterinarian. I doubt he would have wanted to treat me even if I did help save his village. Some doctors are a bit iffy about treating dogs when they don't know the first thing about canine anatomy.

So, while everyone else headed to the town, I slipped away and made my way into the surrounding forest. It was a warm night, and everyone else was out partying or getting treated so no one looked for me. I found a nice hole in a tree and I slept there for the night and most of the next day to sleep the toxin off. I got up to quickly slip back into town and get some food. I ran into some of the others while I was there and they all looked to be fine, so after I grabbed some food I went back to the forest to sleep another night. By the next day my body was back to normal; the toxin seemed to be out of my system finally, much to my relief.

"We must now return back to our job as bounty hunters," Yosaku proclaimed as he looked wistful. "So thank you for all your help up till now."

"Though we must say goodbye, may we meet once again someplace else in the future," Jonny said.

I looked over the railing of the ship down at them, my paws on the rail to help keep me up. I let out a sad whine as I watched them; I was once again sad to see them go. They might have been idiots, but they were still my friends. At least I considered them to be.

"I see then, take care," Luffy said simply from next to me. Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp were standing around near us also on the deck of the ship.

It was the day that we finally departed; the partying had finally stopped yesterday too. I woke up from my sleeping place in the trunk of the tree way before the dawn broke with my body itching to be off. I had felt so much better that morning; all I really need was a good sleep and some food after all. I still hadn't managed to get any counseling though, bugger. I had then trotted lazily to the ship and waited there for the others to arrive after the sun had risen. I received a few questioning glances but no one asked where I had been, it's not like I could answer though.

"Where is she anyway?" I heard Usopp mutter as he glanced around the shore for Nami. She had still not shown up yet.

"Maybe she is not coming," Zoro commented blandly.

"What! Is Nami really not coming!" Sanji yelped at our captain.

"Hey! That raw ham melon you were talking about wasn't anywhere!" Luffy said to Sanji, not really realizing how completely off topic it was.

"SET SAIL!" Nami's voice cried out from down the path that lead towards the boat. I saw the villagers look on in shock and I just quirked a doggish eyebrow at her.

"She's running over here. What do we do?" Usopp questioned our captain.

"She said set sail… So I guess we should set sail," Was Luffy's answer.

Quickly dropped my paws from the rail and trotted off to the mast of the ship. If we were setting sail then I probably should get out of the way; I was pretty useless at helping running the ship. As I sat down I heard a commotion from shore and Luffy gave the proper order to set sail.

"You sure it's okay to let her leave like this?" I heard Sanji question our captain.

"It's her goodbye so let her decided," He said with a shrug.

I heard a thump and I'm guessing it was Nami landing on the deck. Shortly following that I heard several cries of, "My wallet's gone!" from shore. I let a smirk ghost over my muzzle. That was truly a parting no one will forget soon.

I dropped to the ground, curling my body around the mast as the sun brushed over my back like a warm blanket. I heard several other cries from the shore and a few more words of parting but since I was not part of that goodbye, I decided to stay right out of it and tuned out as I took a small nap.

* * *

><p>"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I was jolted from my sleep roughly by a loud scream.<p>

I launched myself to my feet, my head snapping around to try and find out what was wrong. I quickly located where everyone else was and bolted to the front of the deck. I came to a skidding halt in front of Luffy and glanced up to see what he had in his hands. It was his wanted poster for 30 million beli. Oh, so that's what the whole drama was about. That's nothing big.

"Nahahahahaha!" Luffy laughed in his childish manner. "Looks like we are wanted men now! It says 30 million beli!"

"Once again you fail to understand the gravity of the situation..." Nami muttered in a deadpan manner. I dropped my weight back onto my haunches as I watched Luffy's gleeful face. He was just like a kid sometimes. "Don't you realize this means your life is at risk! With that bounty I'm sure marine HQ as well as other strong bounty hunters will come after you…"

"Look!" Usopp taunted Sanji. "My pictures here for the whole world to see!"

"As if, that's just the back of your head," Muttered Sanji in a dejected matter.

"Don't become jealous now! Once we become infamous pirates we might all get one!" Usopp declared as if it was a good thing. I hated to admit it but I wanted to see if I got a bounty as well, and how high that bounty was. I hope they don't give me a low one just because I am an animal…

"With this we can't afford to just loiter around in the East Blue any longer…" Nami muttered as she started planning things out.

"Alright men! Let's head straight for the Grand Line!" Luffy cried out.

"AYE, AYE!" Usopp and Sanji chorused together.

"Hey, I see an island over there," Zoro pointed out and I trotted over to the rail, popping my head up to see where he was pointing.

"That island if proof that we are close to the Grand Line," Nami stated. "On that island there's a famous town called Loguetown. It's also known as the town of the beginning and the end. It's the birthplace of the Pirate King Roger as well as his execution spot."

"So that's the town where the Pirate King died at…" Luffy muttered to himself. For some reason I could remember nothing about this time… Well let's hope that's a good thing and that it means we won't get into any trouble. But hey, this is _us_ we are talking about. We _are_ trouble.

"Shall we go…" Nami asked. I don't really think she needed to ask that because we all knew the answer to that question.

* * *

><p>"Whoa! What a big town!" Luffy cried gleefully as we stood at the entrance of the main street of Loguetown. We were all standing near a large archway with a sign at the top the read 'Loguetown' and around the place was tones of people everywhere. I hate crowds…<p>

"So, the pirate age all began from here, huh?" I heard Sanji say and I sent a glance his way. He didn't question my place in the crew; not even once, I wonder why? I hadn't even gotten to have my introductory staring contest with him. Maybe I'll have to do that another day.

"Okay then! I'm going to go see the execution stand!" Luffy declared; I'm pretty sure that was all he was here for really.

"Seems like I can get some good ingredients and food here!" Sanji put in happily.

"I'm going to go look for some equipment to buy," Usopp said as well.

"I do have something I want to buy too…" Zoro muttered thoughtfully.

"I'll happily lend you some money. At 300% interest that is!" Nami said with a creepy look on her face.

I wasn't watching my crew mates though, this whole town had me on edge. It was way too damn busy and had too many people. I wanted to just crawl back to the boat and wait for them there. Maybe I would do that, I had nothing I needed. I still had that knife the cloak guy gave me and it was strapped to my leg, so I had a weapon and I can think of nothing else I'd need.

* * *

><p>'<em>How the fuck did I end up in this situation<em>!' I snapped at myself; I was so stupid! I should have just gone back to the damn boat.

Everyone went their separate ways and here I was, stuck in the large crowd of people as I tried to dodge their feet. It was so crowded, there was legs and feet everywhere and so much noise! I just wanted to get out as soon as I could or I would start hyperventilating soon.

I spotted an exit from the crowd down a smaller street and I bolted for it, my eyes zeroed in on my goal. I think I might have accidentally pushed a few people as I ran... Oops? When I finally cleared the maze of legs, I skidded to a stop and took a deep breath. That was crazy, I'm not going back in there. It's time to go back to the boat now, and I'll just have to take the back streets.

I start trotting slowly down the small side street that only had a few shops and people walking about but I stopped when I spotted something. There was a young women on one side of the street and she had three large baskets full of food around her. She seemed to be struggling to pick them all up at once and I felt a twinge if pity.

I couldn't help it as I slipped over to where she was standing and I let out a whine as I looked up at her. She glanced down at me and I saw her green eyes narrow in suspicion as her short brown hair fluttered in the wind.

"Sorry doggie, I can't spare any food for you," She sighed and continued her attempts.

I just shook my head and scooped up the basket handle between my teeth and lifted it up. She gave me an alarmed looked, probably thinking I'd steal it. I just sent her a stare and then bumped her leg with the top of my head causing her to take a few steps forward. I then walked up to her and did it again as I ignored her yelp of, "Hey!"

I looked up to her again and she hesitated as she looked down at me still, probably wondering why I hadn't already taken off with her basket. She seemed to get a thoughtful look on her face and took a few steps forward by herself this time. I copied her, staying at her heels and stopping where she stopped. I saw her smile at me as she walked a few meters away before stopping and I followed at her heels the whole time.

I saw her shake her head and mutter something before she turned back to me and said, "Come on then."

She kept walking down the street without stopping this time, although she did spare the occasional glance backwards to see if I was still following. After ducking down several more streets we came to a stop in front of some sort of craft shop that was filled with materials and sewing things. She pushed the door open with her shoulder and held it open for me to walk in. I stopped a few steps in the door and she walked out the back for a few seconds before coming back empty handed and taking the basket carefully from me.

After she had put that out the back too she came back to stand in front of me and she reached over and began to pat the top of my head.

"Thank you for your help!" She said with a bright smile. I was glad I could help. Now, back to the boat!

"Wait two seconds and I'll get you something," She said as she stood up.

I was tempted to go anyway, but she stayed in the front of the shop this time before flitting around a bit and digging through a few draws. She eventually found what she was looking for and she came back over to me, holding out a small scrap of black material. My eyes widened a bit when I saw that it was a bandanna that had a Jolly Roger on it. It was a simple skull and bones Jolly Roger, but the fact that she picked something like that out for me confused me. I look up into her eyes and sent her a questioning look.

"This is for you, as thanks for helping me. Don't give me that look; I know you are a pirate's dog. The knife kinda gave it away. If you were a marine's pet you'd have something labeling you as one and no pirate hunter is stupid enough to send their pet out so blatantly armed in a port with pirates, marines, and other bounty hunters everywhere. My older brother is a pirate and I miss him dearly, so I have nothing against pirates if they aren't harming others," She said as she tied it around my neck.

Her little speech had made a lot of sense, this woman was more switched on then most people would have guessed. I let out a soft but grateful bark at her, my tail swinging happily in the air as she pulled her backs from tying it. I reached up and softly licked the end of her fingers before I spun on my heels and headed back out of the shop. I passed a mirror on the way out and I smirk at how much my new black pirate bandanna actually suited me. I guess no good favor goes unpaid.

* * *

><p>I was making my way to the ship when I happened to bump into everyone but Luffy at an intersection. I looked down one of the street and saw most people heading in one direction. The hell? The other glanced at each other curiously too, what and easy way to meet up.<p>

"So, where is he?" Zoro asked the others. That was a good question in my opinion. Whose smart idea was it to let our captain go off by himself?

"He said he wanted to go check out the execution stand…" Nami muttered.

"Isn't the execution stand right here is town square?" Usopp asked and he all glanced to where he was indication with his head. Why the hell were Sanji and him carrying a freaking huge fish?

"WHA!" Usopp screamed out as we all spotted Luffy at the same time. He was on the execution stand, with his head and hands in the damn wooden block thing so he couldn't get out! He was about to be executed! That IDIOT!

"WHY THE HELL IS HE ON THE EXECUTION STAND!" Zoro yelled in shock.

Without anything needing to be said we all got to our respective jobs. Nami and Usopp took off running towards the dock to get the boat ready. At least I think that is what they doing. Zoro, Sanji, and I were left to try and save our Captain.

We were pushing our way through the citizen when I heard Luffy scream out, "I'M THE MAN WHO'LL BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"

"Is that all you have to say you rubber brat!" I heard the clown looking man call out and he began to swing a sword down towards Luffy's neck.

"WAIT!" Zoro and Sanji screamed at the same time as the citizen around us began to part so we could get through easier.

"ZORO! MAMORI! SANJI!" Our captain called out. "Help me out here!"

What did that idiot think we were trying to do?

"So, you've come Zoro! But you've come too late!" The clown I am presuming to Buggy cried out as he stood over Luffy's trapped form.

"In any case, we've got to bring that execution stand down!" Zoro snarled as we bolted through the parting crowd.

"I know!" Was Sanji reply.

"Take care of them boys!" A female voice cried out.

"As you command Lady Alvida!" A bunch of pirates cried as they charge at us, their weapons at the ready.

"MOVE IT!" Sanji yelled as we started to fight our way through the pirates.

They weren't that strong so it was easy for me to push them over or trip them up. I also dished out a few nips here and then as I pushed my way through. I wasn't game enough to use my knife just yet… I still didn't like it that much after it had helped me kill the Lionfish.

"Gyahaha! Just watch carefully from there!" Buggy cried tauntingly. "Witness the last moments of your captain!"

"BASTARD!" Sanji screamed at him. "Come down here and fight me coward!"

I saw how hopeless the situation was getting so I finally slipped my knife out of its holder and started to use it to help me get through the pirates. I slashed a leg here and there, not doing enough damage to kill. The blood that splashed onto my face was gross though, it made me feel sick. I was doing this for my captain though! I would do anything for Luffy! But the damn pirates kept coming. I got dealt a few kick or hits here are there, I wasn't sure how long I could last.

"Zoro! Mamori! Sanji! Nami! Usopp!" I heard out captain call out to us. My eyes flicked to the side for a second to watch him as he said with the biggest smile on his face, "Sorry, I'm dead."

"Don't say that you bastard!" I heard Sanji scream as at the same time I let out a howl of rage and sorrow.

'_LUFFYYYYYYYY!_' I screamed mentally in panic, my chest seizing up and the sword came down on his neck.

Just before the sword touched Luffy's flesh, a huge bolt of lightning came down from the sky and crashed into the platform, causing it to splinter and collapse in on itself. I watched in in awe like everyone else as Luffy stood up out of the rubble looking perfectly fine, not a damn scratch on the prick. His hat then flew to the ground and he bent over to pick it up and put it back on his head as rain started to fall.

"Nahahaha! Looks like I did survive," He said happily. "How lucky."

I was so relieved... But at the same time I was so fucking pissed!

"Hey, do you believe in God?" Sanji asked Zoro as Luffy walked towards us.

"Enough talking, let's leave this town already," Zoro snapped. "We've got more trouble heading our way."

"Surround the town square! Capture all the pirates!" We heard a voice call out over that rain as marines began to swarm out everywhere.

We all bolted, heading back towards the harbor as we did so, the marines on our tail. As we ran I kept sending Luffy very nasty glares. That fucking idiot had me so worried! I can't believe he done that! If I was still in my human body I would have smacked him clean across the face and then burst out crying. Lucky from him I was a dog…


	18. Storms On The Sea

**Well, the next chapter is here. Admittedly, the next few chapters might drag on a bit because all they are doing is crossing over the Grand Line. But thanks again to my beta all my wonderful reviewers. You guys make my day, truly you do. :)**

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><p>Water still poured from the sky in heavy sheets as the four of us ran through the streets of Louguetown.<p>

"The wind is getting worse!" Zoro pointed out as we continued to run though the wind and rain to get away from the marines following us.

"Jeez, these guys are so persistent!" Luffy whined from behind us. "Should we just stop and finish them off?"

"Don't, there will be no end to them," Sanji said to Luffy. "More importantly Nami told us to return to the ship as soon as possible."

My eyes flicked up as I noticed a woman standing our path as we were running. She didn't move as we ran towards her, she just cried out, "RORONOA ZORO! To think that you were Roronoa Zoro! And a pirate hunter at that, too! You were just toying with me all along!"

"You bastard! What did you do to that woman!" Sanji snapped at Zoro as we ran closer to her.

"I never thought you were a marine…" Zoro said blandly to the woman.

"I shall take back that Wado Ichimonji!" She snapped at him. The hell was she talking about?

"Just try it!" Zoro said with a cocky smirk on his face. He jumped forward to block the woman's swing with his own swords, the sound of metal clashing together rang in my ears.

"Go on ahead!" Zoro said to us as we ran past.

"Okay!" Luffy chirped.

"That brute dares hurt a lady!" Sanji howled as Luffy grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him with us.

"Let's go!" Luffy urged us; he didn't need to tell me though. I was still pissed at him and was going ahead anyway.

* * *

><p>"Someone's up ahead!" Luffy informed us as I spotted something blocking our path.<p>

"Another one?" Sanji hissed in annoyance.

"So, you've come Strawhat Luffy," The man said. He was standing next to some sort of weird motorbike, two cigars in his mouth at once. He had a marine jacket on as well, which was as wet as his gray hair.

"Who're you?" Luffy asked bluntly as we ran closer to him. I just stared at the marine as something seemed to tickle my memory. Who the hell is this guy?

"The name's Smoker," The guy said to Luffy. "I'm a captain of the marine headquarters. Suddenly his arms turned to smoke and it came flying towards us, even the rain didn't stop it. "And I won't allow you to set sail from here!"

The smoke wrapped right around Luffy's middle and lifted him into the air as he cried out in shock.

Sanji and I ran past Luffy and head straight for the marine.

"Why you…" Sanji hissed as he jumped and swung his leg at the marines head. I jumped forward at the same time and bit down around his thigh. "You freak of nature!"

My eyes widen as my teeth sunk straight through him as his leg turned into smoke. The taste of it choked me and I glanced up to see that where Sanji had kicked his head had tuned into smoke to!

"Wha!" Sanji cried just as shocked as me.

"I don't have time for runts," He hissed at the two of us with a glare.

"Howaito Buro*!" He cried out and suddenly I saw a tendril of smoke charge at Sanji and I.

Before we could react it had hit both of us and we went flying back into a wall. I felt my spine impact on the wall with the back of my head following it with a 'crack'. The last thing I saw was the white smoke before everything went black.

* * *

><p>I woke up a few minutes later and we were running again, I was tucked under Sanji's arm as he ran. The fuck! When did I become a bag to be carried around!<p>

I wiggled in his grip and let out a bark as he looked down at me. He just dropped me on the ground and I started running with the others. Someone must have dealt with the Smoker guy because he was nowhere to be seen…

"Luffy!" Usopp yelled as we arrived at the boat. "Hurry up! This rope won't last much longer!"

"Nami!" Sanji cooed as he danced around. "I'm back!"

"What took you guys so long!" She snapped at us. "Hurry up and get on board! We are setting sail immediately!"

* * *

><p>"Yahoo! The ship feels like it was going to flip right over!" Luffy yelled childishly. The storm raged all around us as we sailed on towards the Grand Line. The rain was pouring down on our heads as we sat on the deck but no one paid any heed to it.<p>

"You see that light over there?" Nami asked as she pointed towards the lighthouse shining in the distance. "It's known as the Light of Guidance. The entrance to the Grand Line is just ahead of that light. So what shall we do?"

"Don't you guys think that entering the Grand Line in the midst of this storm is a bit…" Usopp spluttered but he was ignored.

"So we've reached the Grand Line have we!" Sanji chirped as he put a barrel in the middle of the deck. "This calls for a celebration!"

"Guys!" Usopp yelped and I sent him an impish smirk. Poor guy got too scared sometimes.

I knew everything would be fine. I remember something about a whale while crossing the Grand Line, but that's about it. The further into the story line the more I don't remember. I'm going to be screwed when I can't remember anything else. I only remember till the point after they beat Crocodile and even most of that is blurry and in patch.

"To find all blue!" Sanji said as he slammed his foot down on the barrel.

"To become the Pirate King!" Luffy said as he copied Sanji.

"To be the greatest swordsman," Zoro said with a smirk as his foot joined the others.

"To draw a map of the world!" Nami chirped also joining in.

"T…T-to become a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp stuttered as he placed his foot on the barrel also.

"Mamori?" Luffy asked me as I watched them owlishly. He wanted me to join in? It's not like I could say anything…

I walked up to the barrel and place my left front paw on it with an impish smirk. I then tilted my head back and let out a long howl that pierced the noise of the storm as it carried over the waves.

'_To never live a day in my life that I will regret!_' I told myself, even if the others couldn't hear it didn't mean I couldn't say something.

"OFF TO THE GRAND LINE WE GO!" Everyone cried at once as my howl died down.

* * *

><p>"The entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain," Nami said bluntly as she slammed the map down on the kitchen table.<p>

"A mountain!" Usopp exclaimed in confusion from his place at the kitchen table. Zoro and Luffy sat opposite of him and Sanji stood up against the kitchen bench. I walked over the bench and lightly jumped up next to Usopp as I sat down to look at the map.

"Exactly. I had a hard time believing it myself when I looked at the map. But look!" We all bent forward to look at where Nami was pointing. "The Light of Guidance was directly pointing at Reverse Mountain located right here on the Red Line.

"Does that mean we have to crash through the mountain?" Luffy asked Nami.

"No, there's a waterway right here," Nami answered him as she pointed to another point on the map.

"A waterway! That's crazy!" Usopp said. "Even if that waterway really is there, there is no way a ship could climb up a mountain!"

"But that's what the map said!" Nami defend herself.

"That's right! As if Nami could ever be wrong!" Sanji butted in as well.

"But isn't that the map you stole from Buggy?" Zoro asked Nami. "How dependable could it be?"

"Are we really going to climb up a mountain in a ship! That sounds sooooo cool!" Luffy chirped excitedly.

"In the first place why do we even have to go through the entrance anyway?" Zoro questioned Nami yet again. "Couldn't we just head directly South and still enter?"

"NO WE CANT!" Luffy screamed as he jumped up and pointed a finger. Wow… He was really excited about going up a hill.

"That's right, and there is a perfectly good reason for that," Nami snapped at Zoro as well.

"IT'S SO MUCH COOLER TO GO IN USING THE REAL ENTRANCE!" Luffy yelled at Zoro again.

"That's not the reason!" Nami hissed as she hit Luffy over the back of his head.

"Huh! Guys, the storm suddenly stopped!" Usopp called out; at some stage he had gotten up and walked over to the small round window.

"Hey, you're right," Sanji said as he walked up behind Usopp.

"What? That can't be…" Nami said is confusion. "That storm should have led us directly to the entrance."

We all got up and wandered outside to see that we were sitting on a really calm part of sea. The sky was clear and there were hardly any waves. It was almost eerie considering the fact that the wind had basically been trying to tear the galley door off it's hinges moments ago.

"Wow! Such a nice day!" Luffy yelled happily as he walked down to the main deck.

"I wonder what happened to the storm?" Usopp asked as he, Sanji and I followed Luffy down.

"OH NO!" Nami suddenly gasped in a mix of shock and horror. "We entered the Calm Belt!"

"Calm Belt?" Usopp asked her.

"What's that?" Luffy added.

"Hey, look. Even though the storm's still going on over there it's perfectly calm over here." Sanji pointed out. He was right too.

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE STANDING ABOUT!" Nami screamed as she leaned over the railings just outside the kitchen door. "GO GRAB THE OARS AND START ROWING AS FAST AS YOU CAN! WE HAVE TO RETURN BACK TO THE STORM IMMEDIATELY!"

"As you wish Nami!" Sanji cooed as he happily waved at her.

"What are you getting so worked up about? And you know this is a caravel, not a rowboat, right?" Luffy questioned Nami with a blank look.

"Why would we even want to go back into the storm?" Usopp put in. I was standing near the guys but my paws were starting to itch. I think they should ask fewer questions and do more work. If Nami was serious about something she must have a good reason.

"JUST SHUT UP AND DO WHAT I SAY!" She screamed in reply.

"Btu there weather is so nice here…" Zoro said as he walked up to railing next to Nami.

"FINE THEN! I'LL GIVE YOU AND EXPLANATION! WE'VE DRIFTED SOUTH JUST LIKE YOU SUGGESTED DOING!" Nami screamed as she lectured him. The others stood around listening silently too.

"IF IT WAS THAT EASY ANYONE COULD COME TO THE GRAND LINE WHENEVER THEY WANTED!" She snapped at his remark. "Listen, the Grand Line is surrounded by two ocean belts and those two windless belts known as the Calm Belt. That is exactly where we are stuck in now!"

"Calm eh?" Zoro remarked as he walked down the stairs to join us on the main deck. "It sure seems that way with no wind and all. So? What's your point?"

Nami followed after him as she started to say, "My point is that…"

The boat suddenly started to shake erratically like we were in an earthquake. My eyes went wide as my head darted around to look at all my friends, they were also all trying to keep their balance.

"Ahh! Is this an earthquake?" Luffy yelled.

"But we're out in open seas!" Usopp yelped.

After the shaking finally stopped we all glanced over the side at the same time. Usopp began to froth at the mouth as he fell backwards onto the deck. Nami threw herself at the mast and clutched onto it as she began sobbing. Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy's jaws all dropped as they looked on in shock. I was having a blank moment as my paws rested on the railing. The ship was resting on the nose of a sea king… A fucking huge one at that! And below us were so many other sea kings that it wasn't funny! I wasn't really sure how to react other than to stare on in shock.

"Holy… Shit…" Luffy said in awe and horror.

"This place is a den for sea kings…" Nami sobbed. Why the fuck couldn't she have just said so sooner?

I jumped back from the railing and ran over to Nami as the others went and grabbed oars out. I sat down beside her and leaned my side against her as I tried to comfort her some. The last thing we need was for our navigator to freak on us, she needs to tell us how to get out.

"A… Alright as soon as this… Thing dives back into the sea start rowing your arms off!" Zoro command as sweat slipped down his forehead.

"Aye, aye!" Sanji and Luffy replied.

"A…" The sea king started to make a funny noise. I had a bad feeling about this… "CHOO!"

The damn thing sneezed and we were all sent flying with the ship!

"WHAAAAAA!" Everyone screamed as we went flying into the air over the ship as we fell.

"AHHH! A GAINT FROG IS JUMPING THIS WAY!" I heard a voice scream over the wind.

FUCKING HELL!

"DON'T GET THROW OVERBOARD!" Another voice yelled out as we are started to latch onto things to keep us in the ship. I managed to grab a stray piece of rope with my teeth and that keep me onboard and near everyone else.

"USOPP JUST FELL!" Some cried and my heart missed a beat.

"USOOOPPPPPPPPPP!" I heard Luffy scream and out of the corner of my eyes I saw Luffy's hand shoot out and grab Usopp just before he fell into the frog's mouth.

**CRASH**

We were all thrown to the ground as we finally landed and the rain started to pour on our heads again as the lightning and thunder rumbled above. We were back in the storm… Thank God. I lifted up my head from where I was sprawled on the deck and looked around. Everyone was accounted for; we didn't lose anyone. Phew.

"Oh… Thank God… We are back in the storm again," Luffy muttered in a relieved tone.

"Now do you understand why we have to use the main entrance?" Nami hissed at Zoro.

"Yeah… Understood…" Zoro muttered tiredly.

Everyone slowly dragged themselves to their feet as Nami sat up and declared, "Ah! I got it!"

"What?" Zoro asked her.

"We really are going to climb the mountain!" Nami said.

"You're still going on about that?" Groaned Zoro.

"It must be due to the sea currents," She began to explain as I pulled myself into a sitting position, my eyes on her. "If strong currents from all four seas were all to head towards that mountain then they would drive the water up the waterway! And at the very top the currents will merge and come out at the Grand Line! Since we are already riding the currents all we have to worry about is steering properly. Reverse Mountain is a Winter Island so the currents that hit the edge will travel down to the bottom of the sea. So, if we fail to enter the waterway we'll crash and get dragged down to the bottom of the sea. Got it?"

Well… That was comforting…

"So, basically you are saying it's a magic mountain, right?" Luffy asked childishly and I just smirked at him.

"I shouldn't have expected you to understand…" Nami said as she sighed.

"Never heard of a ship going up a mountain before," Zoro commented and my eyes flicked to him.

"I've heard a bit," Was Sanji's vague reply.

"About the mountain?" Zoro questioned him.

"No, but I've heard things about the Grand Line. Supposedly half the people die just trying to go in. Entering is no easy task," Sanji said as he smirked at Zoro.

Zoro didn't get a chance to reply as Luffy yelled, "I see Magic Mountain!"

"Wait!" Usopp yelped as I trotted up to stand next to Luffy. "What's that huge shadow! It's huge!"

"So that's Red Line!" Luffy cried as we stared at a large rock wall. Well the word large did no justice to it… It was fucking humongous! "I can't even see the top because of the clouds!"

"Get a good grip on the rudder so we don't get dragged under!" Luffy order.

"Just leave it to us!" Sanji and Usopp replied as they did just what was asked. I just stood by Luffy's side because I wasn't really much help at steering a ship. No hands, remember?

"Amazing," Was Nami's awe struck muttering.

"I can't believe it…" Zoro mumbled as we all saw a huge crack in the wall. And guess what was going up that crack. Water. Going up. Weird, but this was the Grand Line after all!

"It's the entrance to the waterway!" Nami cried.

"The ocean is… Really going up a mountain…" Zoro still mumbled in disbelief. I never thought I'd see that guy speechless like this.

"We're veering off course!" Luffy snapped. "Turn a little to the right!"

"Right!" Usopp cried as he and Sanji started to pull on the rudder to change our course. "Turn starboard!"

**SNAP**

My head whipped around so fast I thought I'd get whiplash but what I saw was worse than whiplash by a long shot. The rudder had snapped clean off in Usopp and Sanji's hands!

"The rudder just…" Nami cried as tears ran down her face. "WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"

I turned back the front in time to see a pillar of one of the entrance archways looming directly in front of us. Fuck me... I dug my nails into the wood and closed my eyes.

"Gomu Gomu no…" I heard Luffy's voice way as he dashed away from my side. "FUSEN*!"

I felt the ship smash into something before bouncing back and my eyes finally snapped open as I saw we were back on course and heading up the mountain.

"We're saved!" Nami cried gratefully.

"Luffy! Grab onto my hand!" I heard Zoro cry and noticed that Luffy was floating behind the boat in mid-air.

'_I don't even want to fucking know…_' I thought to myself as Luffy threw his hand into Zoro's and was pulled back onto the ship.

"WE DID IT!" Everyone cried as we all stood on the deck of the ship and I let out a long victory howl.

I might not have done much but at least I didn't piss my pants, right? I didn't have pants though… Oh. Oh well! We were now heading up the mountain and on our way to the Grand Line! Now what about that damn whale I remember something about…

I didn't have much time to think about though as we finally reached the top of the mountain and we started going down it.

"YAHOO!" Luffy cried happily as he scrambled up onto the ship's figurehead. "Now all we have to do is go down!"

I rested my paws on the railing next to the figurehead, Nami by my side. It was a really good view from here!

"I CAN SEE THE GRAND LINE FROM HERE!" Luffy cried.

* * *

><p>* White Blow<p>

* Gum Gum Balloon


	19. Huge Whale

**Well, I decided to be nice and put two chapters together so that we could skip over what I classified the boring stuff. I thought I'd save you all the torture. As of this point on, all my chapters will be 5,000 words before they will be published instead of them being over 3,000 like before, this one is over 7,000! So, if they take a little bit longer to come out then before, I apologise. But I hope to be publishing better quality chapters as of now. That and after almost twenty chapters I thought you guys would like longer chapters. xDD**

**Oh! I went shopping the other day and I saw this cutest pirate flag for sale. So, of course I had to go and buy it. It is now posted up on my wall in my bedroom. It is so epic! I also have a picture of Mamori I drew and I stuck it under that. I'll give you a link to the picture if you'd like to go have a look; It's just a scribble I cooked up in Biology class. **

**ooovixenooo. deviantart. com/art/Mamori-287968053**

**Just take the spaces out of that and you should be able to see it. Anyway, getting on with things. Enjoy this long chapter and thank you to my beta and reviewers! I love you guys! And thank you to anyone who has added this story to their favourites this story or added it story alerts too.** **:)**

* * *

><p>The Going-Merry was now going at insane speeds down the mountain, the water around the boat helping to guide it. Sanji and Usopp had somehow managed to get themselves on top of the sails as they clung to them; the view up there would be awesome. Zoro, Nami, and I were all standing around the front deck and I had my paws on the railing so I could watch out of the front of the boat. Luffy had climbed onto the ram figurehead and was clinging to that; he would be in lots of trouble if he fell in the water from there.<p>

"So this is the Grand Line! The greatest sea in the world!" Luffy cried gleefully. "FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

"BUOOOOH!"

Something suddenly cried from the bottom of the mountain. The mist from the water spray was everywhere so we couldn't see that far down yet. Please don't let it be what I think it is!

"Hm? Did you hear something just now?" Zoro asked nonchalantly.

"Who cares! Woohoo!" Was Luffy's idiotic reply.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that's juts nose from the wind. The terrain here is quiet odd after all," Nami said as she tried to rationalize the sound.

"BUOOOH!" The sound came again, but closer this time.

"Nami!" Sanji called from his spot atop the sail. "There is a mountain ahead!"

"A mountain?" She said in disbelief. "That can't be! Once we pass the Twin Capes up ahead, we should sail straight into open sea!"

"BUOOOOH!" The sound came yet again and at this point I was pretty sure it was Mr. Whale. Oh my. At this speed if we crash into him we are in a heap of shit.

"Hm?" Luffy said as he scrutinized the path before us as the mist began to clear. I saw the black shape Sanji was talking about and so did the others.

"That's no mountain! That's a whale!" Nami screamed.

"BUOOOOOH!" The said whale cried and I folded my ears back against my skull. The sound wasn't exactly pleasant to my doggy ears.

"What should we do!" Usopp cried as he jumped down from the mast.

"Should we fight it!" Luffy asked.

"Are you kidding! How are you meant to fight something that big!" Nami yelled at them.

"But it's blocking the way!" Luffy defended himself.

"We are too close to see anything! It looks just like a giant wall!" Sanji hissed. "Where are it's eyes!"

"Ah! That's right! Maybe the whale hasn't noticed us yet!" Nami said hopefully.

"If we don't do anything soon we're going to crash!" Zoro snapped at us as he pointed to a gap between the whale and the wall. "There is an opening up left! Turn port side!"

"But the rudder snapped!" Usopp yelled back at Zoro.

"We'll we've got to do something!" Zoro snapped as he jumped over the railing and ran towards Usopp and where the rudder was. "I'll come help too!"

"That's it! I've got plan!" Luffy said and I moved my eyes over to him. He had an idea did he?

"What is it Luffy!" Nami cried as Luffy jumped the railing and ducked into the ship's cabin.

There was only Nami and I left up on the front deck now. I still had my front paws resting on the railing as we got closer; I was not much use anywhere else.

"It's no good! The rudder won't budge!" I heard someone crying. Oh, bugger. What was Luffy's plan then?

**BANG!**

The sound rang in my poor ears as a cannon ball shot out from the front of the ship, not that far from where I was standing. Idiot! But that didn't stop the ship as we suddenly smashed into the wall of a whale. I jumped down from the railing and threw myself at Nami as we connected with the whale. I knocked Nami to the ground with my body on top of her as the ship's figure head snapped off and went flying over us. I felt some of the wood brush past my fur and a shiver went down my spine. That was fucking close.

"Oh God…" I heard Nami mumble from under me as I wiggled off of her. "I almost died just then…"

"My Special Seat!" I heard Luffy cry as the figure head went bouncing onto the lower decks.

Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp all came out in time to the whale open and eye and look at us. The eye was bigger than my whole body… It was bigger than the ship too!

"N-Now is our chance!" Zoro snapped at the rest of us. "Run for it!"

"What is that thing? It didn't even feel the cannon ball just then!" Luffy cried as he came back into the deck. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp get oars and began to try and row. "Maybe it's just really slow!"

Like you're one to talk Luffy…

"Who the hell cares!" Sanji snapped. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

"BUOOOOH!" The whale cried and this time I cringed back.

The closer I got the worse the sound hurt my ears. But at the same time I couldn't help but think it was a sort of distressed and sad call as it seemed to unsettle me. Maybe it was because I was an animal too. I couldn't help it when I tipped my head back and let out a long and mournful howl just after the whale, as if I was joining with his call.

"MAMORI! Don't encourage it!" I heard Nami snapped at me from her place still kneeling on the ground and I cut off my howl as I flicked my eyes towards her sheepishly. Oops, I got a bit carried away then.

"How dare…" Luffy said in a low and dangerous voice as he stepped up onto the main deck with Nami and I. "You destroy… MY SPECIAL SEAT!"

And with that said Luffy flung his fist straight at the whale's eyes with the help of his Devil Fruit power. I watched in horror with the others as his fist connected.

"THAT IDIOT!" The others screamed as the giant eye flicked down to look at us. "It saw us!"

"Come at me you bastard!" Luffy snapped as he got in a fighting stance, his fists raised in a defensive position.

"Just shut the hell up!" Usopp and Zoro snapped as they jumped up to the main deck and kicked Luffy in the back of the head, sending him face first into the deck of the ship.

The whale suddenly opened up is mouth, sucking up the water and the boat was jolted as it stated to get sucked into the whale's mouth. My feet were knocked out from under and me as I fell to the wooden deck watching in horror as Luffy went flying over the railing. I lost sight of him quickly as the boat was thrown around roughly on the rocking waves while we got sucked in, the boat spinning like a top. My sense of direction went straight out the window because at some stages I couldn't tell up from down.

* * *

><p>"What do I make of this…?" Zoro questioned Sanji.<p>

"Yeah, what's your explanation for this? I could've sworn that we got swallowed up by the whale…" Sanji replied as we stood railing looking at was in front of us.

We were floating some odd looking substance that was green and smelly. Floating in the middle of the water was a house that seemed to be sitting on a floating island. That's not something you find in a whale's stomach normally...

"Are we just dreaming or something?" Usopp mumbled. "Yeah, we've got to be dreaming of something…"

"Then… What's with that house on the island?" Nami said. "It must be an illusion."

**SPLASH**

Suddenly a huge squid jumped up out of the water right in front of the boat and I stumbled back a few steps in shock. Nami and Usopp dived right past me and covered their head with their arms. Zoro and Sanji got ready to deal with it but there was no point when several harpoons suddenly went through its head. The creature went dead still at the same time all of us did.

"Seems like there is a person here…" Zoro said.

"Let's hope it's a person," Sanji smirked.

"By the way… Where did Luffy go?" Usopp stuttered.

"I've had enough… I wanna go home..." Sobbed Nami.

The squid fell back in the ocean as it started to get dragged towards the floating house by the harpoons that had been stabbed straight through it. I walked up the railing again, next to Zoro and popped my head up again so I could see.

"M-Maybe we should just open fire!" Usopp cried as he jumped back to his feet.

"Hang on, someone is coming out," Sanji mumbled. Before pointing and crying, "IT"S A FLOWER!"

"A flower!" Zoro exclaimed.

I narrowed my eyes so I could get a better look, but it wasn't a flower. It was just a person that looked like a flower.

"Wait! No, it's a person!" Sanji quickly corrected himself.

"What's with him…" Usopp said quietly to himself. "That old man just took out that giant squid with one blow! Was he just fishing or did he do that to save us…."

The tension in the air seem to increase as everyone wondered the same thing and I felt some of the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The old man looked up and his eyes meet our own eerily. He then walked away and settled down on a beach chair, picking up a newspaper as he did so.

"SAY SOMETHING!" Sanji snapped angrily at the man but he just looked at us blankly.

"I-I-If it's a fight you want, t-then you've got one!" Usopp cried shakily, pointing his finger at the man. "We have a cannon on our side!"

The man stayed silent for a second before warning, "Don't, or someone might end up dead." I let out a soft growl as he said that, my eyes narrowing even more. Was that a threat?

"Oh… And just who would that be…?" Sanji hissed moodily.

"Me," He said in a simple manner that it caused me to blink owlishly a few times in shock.

"YOU!" Sanji snapped back at him, once again pissed off.

"Now, now. Don't get so worked up," Zoro chided Sanji. "Hey, old man. Would you mind telling us who you are, and just where is this place exactly?"

"It's common courtesy to introduce yourself to others before asking questions, you know?" The old man said as he avoided the question. I was starting to find this whole situation rather funny, I would find it funnier if it wasn't for the fact we were in a whale's stomach.

"Oh, right…" Zoro muttered. "Sorry about that."

"My name is Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Capes," The old man started to say. "I'm 71 years old, a Gemini and blood type AB."

"NOBODY MINDS IF I KILL HIM, RIGHT!" Zoro suddenly snapped, going to pull his sword out. Idiot... He got mad too easily.

"Calm down!" Sanji butted in and grabbed Zoro's shoulder.

"You're wondering where this place is? First you trespass in my private resort and then start mouthing off with that attitude," Crocus said as he frowned at us. "Does this place look like the stomach of a mouse?"

"So then… We must have really been swallowed by a whale…" Usopp said as he walked towards the railing.

"What do we do…!" Nami hissed as she walked up to the railing as well. "I don't want to be digested by a whale!"

"If it's an exit you want, the exit is right over there," The old man said simply, as if it was no big deal. I turned my head around to look at where was indicating and sure enough, there was a large pair of double doors that looked very much like an exit.

"YOU CAN GET OUT OF HERE!" Nami yelped as everyone's jaws dropped. "Why is there an exit inside a whale's stomach! And how is that door floating in the sky!"

"No wait…" Usopp mumbled thoughtfully. "If you look carefully the skies and the clouds are all just a painting! The inside of the whale's stomach has been painted over!"

"That's just my way of having a good time," The old man said as we turned our attention back to him.

"What the heck are you doing in here anyways!" Usopp yelled at him.

"Just leave him be, we've found an exit so let's just get out of here," Zoro said as he put a hand on Usopp's shoulder.

The boat suddenly started shaking though; actually everything around us shook as if it was an earthquake. My body was roughly rocked back and forth along with the boat, the momentum making me dizzy.

"What's that!" Someone yelped in shock.

"Look! That's no island either! It's a ship! An iron one at that too!" Nami cried and pointed to where the old man.

"So then this ocean is actually stomach acid!" Usopp cried out. "If we stay here any longer than this our ship will be dissolved! Hey, what's going on! Give us an explanation!"

"The whale," The old man said as he crossed his arms and stood up. "Has started bashing his head against the Grand Line again!"

"What!" Sanji and Zoro said in unison before they ground their teeth together. I felt my gut twist uncomfortably, why would the whale hurt itself like that? Why didn't I remember this either? I probably thought it was a minor part and not worth paying too much attention to when I was watching One Piece ages ago.

"Now that he mentions it… I remember that the whale's forehead was covered in scars…" Nami recalled. "And he was bellowing up at the sky!"

"What does it all mean?" Usopp asked.

"It means that he is suffering," Nami stated simply and I dropped my ears back against my skull. The poor whale, what was wrong with it? "He must be trying to kill this whale from the inside!"

"Now then, what a nasty thing to say!" The old man snapped at Nami.

"Well then, if the mystery has been solved then get out of here already," Zoro said. "We'll be dissolved if we hang around here any longer."

"That's right," Sanji agreed with Zoro. "I don't have anything against whaling, and it's not like we have an obligation to save the whale either."

No way… We couldn't leave then whale suffering like this!

"Hey! If the whale keeps rampaging like this it's going to be hard to reach the exit!" Sanji yelled as the boat continued to get rocked around.

"Well, if we don't hurry up our lives and Luffy's will be in danger!" Zoro snapped. "He's not inside with us! I saw him escape through the whale's mouth!"

"AH!" Usopp yelped and my eyes widened as the old man jumped into the water or stomach acid should I say. "That old man just jumped in! What's he trying to do! He's gonna get himself dissolved!"

"He's swimming towards the exit!" Nami observed. "We should hurry up and make our way to the exit before the whale gets any more violent!"

I let out a grunt as the ship was rocked rather violently, worse than before. My feet slipped out from under me and I landed roughly on my side. Bloody hell, it was been shaken like a milkshake!

"We've got no choice but to row!" Zoro cried as I scrambled back to my paws.

**BANG**

My head jerked up in time to see a smaller pair of doors that were near the huge doors smash open. My eyes went wide with shock as three figures went flying out and came flying towards the ship. I would have face palmed if I had a hand when I saw my captain was one of three.

"Luffy…!" Zoro muttered.

"Guys! You're alright!" He cried out happily. I think he needed to worry about himself at the moment though, he couldn't swim after all. "Well, in any case just help me out!"

No one got a chance to do anything as Luffy and the other two figures went splashing into the whale acid. Idiots, all of them. How the hell did they end up in that situation?

* * *

><p>"The whale seems to have calmed down…" Nami observed as the shaking died down and the boat finally sat calm. "Well? Just exactly who are you guys?"<p>

I sat on the deck, my nose crinkled in disgust as the stinking acid clung to my fur. I had been stupid enough to jump in with Zoro and Sanji thinking I could help because there was three people to save. I had helped them. I dragged out the weird guy, Sanji got the chick, and Zoro got Luffy; but now I stunk like yesterday's trash and my skin itched. The whale acid was so gross!

The two new people were sitting at the front of the deck and Sanji was flirting with the woman. Luffy was perched on the railing behind them and the rest of us were spread out on the deck. I was sitting next to Zoro, my fur still dripping a bit from the acid.

"I won't let you lay a finger on Laboon!" The old man suddenly cried from the small set of doors that Luffy had come through. "For as long as I live!"

"Who's that old man?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Fufufu," Laughed the girl.

"Oh… But we are inside the whale now," The strange man said as they both pulled guns out from freaking nowhere and shot them towards the whale stomach lining. "It'll be only too easy to blast holes in its stomach! We won't let you interfere with our whaling business any longer!"

The old man just threw himself off of the platform and into the path of the oncoming bomb and the bombs exploded on him. I ran at the railing and threw myself over the side yet again as the old man fell into the acid. I dove head first into the liquid, swimming a few meters before popping back up the surface, gasping for air as the acid stung my nose and eyes. God that stuff was gross...

I quickly swam over the old man when he popped back up to the surface, looking fine enough. I swam up to him and he sent me a scrutinizing look which I returned. I then swam around behind him and nuzzled my nose in under his armpit. With a bit of wiggling I slipped my head and shoulder under his armpit so that him arm was over my shoulder. He made a sound of objection but I growled softly to shut him before I began to pull him back into shore.

* * *

><p>"This whale is an island whale normally found in the West Blue. It is the largest species of whale found in the world. And these two guys are rogues from a nearby town," The old man explained.<p>

He was now back on his little boat island and sitting in his chair with the two strangers tied up in front of him. I sat next to his chair, yet again disgusted by the yucky whale acid clinging to my fur. Everyone else was spread around in the current vicinity while listening to the old man's story.

"Their goal is to hunt Laboon because the meat from Laboon can feed their town for 2-3 years. But I won't allow that! As for why Laboon keeps bashing his head against the Red Line and bellowing while facing Reverse Mountain… There's a reason for that too," He paused for a moment; collecting his thoughts. "Long ago as I was minding my business being a lighthouse keeper, a certain group of friendly pirates came down Reverse Mountain and following their ship was a little baby whale. That whale was Laboon. It seems Laboon had accompanied them on their journey in West Blue, but fearing the Grand Line was too dangerous, they left him behind; or so they thought. Normally island whales are known to swim together in pods, but to Laboon those pirates where his pod members. Their ship was damaged when they arrived so they stayed here for several months to fix it. I became good friend with them while they stayed. And, so on the day of their departure, their captain asked me, 'Could you please take care of Laboon for 2-3 years? Once we have sailed around the world we will come back for him no matter what'. Understanding their intent, Laboon waited patiently for them here."

"So that's why he keeps bellowing even today… And bashing himself against the Red Line…" Nami muttered as she finally got it.

"That's right… It's been over 50 years since then… He still believes his friends will come back…" Then old man said with a sad sigh.

Poor Laboon… No wonder he sounded so sad…

* * *

><p>"But to think it's been waiting here for 50 years…" Zoro said. "Does he still believe his friends will really return?"<p>

We were all back outside of Laboon and we were all resting just outside of the lighthouse. Luffy was lying against a rock and I was sprawled lazily on the ground not far away from him. Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji were all sitting around a table and drinking a cup of tea. Crocus was sitting on a stump and facing towards Laboon with Nami was standing near him.

"Those pirates sure are taking a long time…" Luffy noted.

"You idiot, this is the Grand Line," Sanji sighed and he pulled his cigarette out of his mouth. "They promised to be back in 2-3 years, yet they are still not back after 50 years… The answer is obvious. They're long dead by now. They won't come back no matter how long that whale waits…"

I hated to admit it, but Sanji was right. Laboon's friends were most likely dead, poor Laboon. I felt bad for the whale. If I was in his situation I would have gone crazy by now, or have lost faith in them of ever coming back.

"Why do you have to go and say such cold thing!" Usopp snapped in anger. "You can't say that for sure! They might still come back! Can't you appreciate such a moving tale about a whale who still believes in his friends promise!"

"The truth is far more cruel, however," I heard the old man say and I flicked my eyes over to him. "Those fellows left already. Left from the Grand Line that is. I heard from a reliable source."

"W…What?" Usopp stuttered as he stared wide eyed at Crocus.

"So they just left the whale behind!" Nami cried out in an aghast manner. "But that would mean they left the Grand Line through the Calm Belt!"

"Yes… That is why I do not know if they survived or not," He admitted as he crossed his arm. "But even if they did survive they would never dare to return here again… A place where the seasons, currents, climates, and winds could not be more chaotic. A place where common sense fails to uphold. That place is this sea, the Grand Line, and it rules over those with fear and the faint-hearted."

I had lifted my head off of my paws whilst he had been explaining that. So they just left Laboon? How could they… And why didn't I pay more attention to this part in the anime? Maybe I would have got more of a hint as to whether it was all true or not… Maybe somehow, somewhere, someone was trying to get back to Laboon… Or maybe there was some way to help the poor thing…

"So basically… Those cowards were more concerned about saving their lives then keeping a promise to a friend," Sanji concurred darkly as he put his cigarette out. "And thus left the Grand Line never to return again…"

"So they just abandoned the whale!" Usopp yelled, spit flying from his mouth. "Even though the whale never doubt them and has been waiting for them for over 50 year! How could they be so cruel!"

"If that's the case then why haven't you told the whale?" Nami asked the Crocus. "The whale can understand human words, right!"

"I have told him the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Crocus admitted as he closed his eyes. "But he refuses to listen. Ever since then Laboon was been bellowing at Reverse Mountain, and bashing his head against the Red Line as if stubbornly trying to assert his friends are beyond that wall and they'll return someday… I've tried telling him the truth many more times, but Laboon still refuses to accept the truth."

I can't believe that something like that could happen to the poor whale. But if he believed in his friends and still does then why shouldn't we as well? Or maybe he's just a trusting fool.

"What a whale… He still keeps believing even after his friends betrayed him," Sanji said, lighting another cigarette. That was a bad habit for him to have… I might have to try and do something about it one day.

"Even though there is no point waiting anymore…" Usopp added onto Sanji's comment.

I heaved myself lazily to my paws and trotted over to Nami, my paws lightly dancing over the rocky ground. I then gently sat down by her side, my tail wrapping around my hind legs and I stared sadly out to Laboon.

"That's exactly it… It's because he will lose all reason that he refuses to listen. He's afraid to lose the meaning behind his waiting above all else. This whale's home is back in West Blue, which is located on the others side of the Red Line. It's too late for him to go back. That's why his only hope is the very friends he came along with here in the first place," Crocus informed us.

Oh God, doesn't that sound familiar? He can't get back to where he belongs either, just like me.

"But you know, as much as I feel sorry for the whale and all, you've also been betrayed by them if you think about it. So why don't you just leave the whale be already?" Sanji asked the old man.

"Look at the scars on his head… If he continues to recklessly bash his head against the wall he'll definitely die," Crocus sighed. "We've had an odd relationship but he's still my companion that I have lived with for over 50 years. I can't just stand by and watch him die…"

"BUOOOOOOHHHHHH!" A voice suddenly cried out and I saw something moving up Laboon's back.

"Huh?" Nami said, blinking. I narrowed my eyes as I noticed it was Luffy running up Laboon's back. Dear God, what in Hell's name is he doing now?

"What's that idiot up to now?" Sanji asked with a sweat drop.

"Maybe he just likes climbing things?" Usopp offered although he seemed just as confused as the rest of us.

"Take your eyes off for him for one second…" I heard Nami mutter from beside me.

My jaw dropped further and further as our dumb captain reached the top of Laboon's head. He then slammed whatever it was in his hands into a recently open wound of Laboon's. What in God's name!

"Hey, is that a mast?" I heard Zoro ask from behind me.

"Yeah…" Sanji answered him. "I think it's our ship's…"

"Yup, it's our main mast all right," Usopp said.

I was speechless; I had no idea what to think. I wasn't sure whether to scream, laugh, cry, or clap... So I just settled for shock.

"BUOOOOOOOOOHHHH!" Laboon cried out in pain and I flinched as the sound reached my ears. The whale started to thrash his head around as Luffy clung to the mast.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?" Nami, Zoro, and Sanji screamed at the same time with horrified looks on their faces.

"HE DESTROYED OUR SHIP!" Usopp screamed as tears ran out of his eyes.

Crocus and I just stayed silent thanks to the shock and watched in horror as Luffy started to scream whilst still clinging onto the mast.

Suddenly Laboon stopped thrashing and looked down at us. I froze as he began to dive down towards the ground, his head first.

"IT'S COMING THIS WAY!" Someone screamed as we all started to scatter out of his way.

"Hey! Hey kid!" I heard Crocus yell at him and I paused. "It's too dangerous!"

"Don't worry about him! He won't die!" Nami screamed at him as she began to pull him along.

We all managed to scramble out of Laboon's way as his head crashed into the rocks. The ground shook under my feet but Laboon just lifted up his head and screamed again.

"BUOOOOOOH!"

I watched with wide eyes as Luffy pushed away from Laboon and flung his fist into Laboon's eyes.

"BUOOOOOOOH!" Laboon bellowed as Luffy went flying back into the wall of the lighthouse.

"What is he trying to do…?" Usopp muttered.

Luffy peeled himself off the building and he then crashed down at the base of the lighthouse. I quickly scrambled over to him, nosing his cheek once before pulling back and hovering just above him like a mother hen.

"LUFFY! JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Zoro yelled at him.

"IT'S A TIE!" Luffy screamed as his eyes snapped open, smirking as he did so. "I'm pretty tough, eh?"

Laboon just stayed silent as he stared at Luffy in confusion along with the rest of us.

"Our fight has yet to be settled, so we must fight each other again!" Luffy declared and I finally saw where he was going with this. "Your old friends may be dead, but I'm your new rival! And once my crew sails around the Grand Line, we'll be sure to come back here and see you again! And then we'll duke it out again!"

I cast my gaze around and saw that everyone now wore smiles or smirks, thankfully. And I was one of the, my gums pulled back in a doggish smirk.

"BUOOOOH!" Laboon cried, but this time his cry held some happiness that warmed my heart.

* * *

><p>"AHHHHHHHH!" I heard a voice scream and I bolted up and banged my head against a rock. I yelped and pulled myself out from my little nest in the rocks. I had been taking a short nap in a crack in between some rocks before someone screamed.<p>

I bolted towards the sound and slowed to a trot when I came across Nami, Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji. I trotted hesitantly up to Nami to see what was wrong, my ear flat against my skull.

"THE COMPASS! IT'S BROKEN! IT'S POINTING ALL OVER THE PLACE!" She screamed. Jeez, did this woman only scream for minor reasons. This was the second time it had happened, and yet again it wasn't that big of a deal.

I was still sleepy from being woken up and I knew the basic gist of how the log pose worked so I crawled under the table and curled into a ball to sleep again.

* * *

><p>Everyone was loaded up on the ship again and I noted that the two strangers were back on the ship with us again, but this time everyone was being friendly enough with them so I just shrugged it off. I think if remember correctly, they take us to an island and there was some big party? But it turned out to be a trap and Zoro took out a lot of pirate hunters. Then somehow we got a Princess or something that we had to take for a stroll through the desert to get her home. We stop at a few islands first though, before getting to the desert. Then we end up helping her save her home from Crocodile, if I'm right that is. Again, I only remember bits and pieces; and I also remember something about Ace (Luffy's brother), giants, dinosaurs, and snow. Meh, I'll worry about it when the time comes.<p>

"Alright then, your log pose should have been recorded by now," Crocus said from his place on the shoreline. "Is it pointing to the place indicated on the map?"

"Yep!" Nami confirmed as she glanced to the log pose that was strapped to her wrist. "It's pointing towards Whiskey Peak."

"You sure about this kid? Picking Whiskey Peak just because of these ruffians… The only place you can choose what route you want to go is here," Crocus questioned Luffy.

Luffy just leaned over the railing next to Nami and myself and replied, "It's fine. If I don't like the route I can always just sail once around and choose a different route next time."

"I see…" Crocus said with a smirk.

"Bye then gramps!" Luffy called out his farewell. I echoed his farewell with several barks of my own as I flashed the old man an impish smirk.

"Thanks for the log pose!" Nami called out.

"See ya' then," Crocus farewelled us.

"WE'RE GOING NOW WHALE!" Luffy yelled out to the whale.

"BUOOOOOHH!" Laboon called out in his own farewell.

"ARRRRROOOOOOO!" I howled my own farewell to the whale, my head tilted back towards the sky as we left. One day we'll be back Laboon!

* * *

><p>I danced around the front of the ship as more snow fell onto the deck, my head tilted up to the sky as a snow flake fell on the end of my nose. My feet slipped and slid on the slippery surface but I still pranced around like an excited child, my tail wagging like crazy. I had never seen snow before! Ever! It had always been a dream of mine, and it was finally coming true!<p>

My feet suddenly slipped out from under me, my body spinning around to land roughly on my back in the snow. My legs were held up in the air as I stared dazedly into space for a few seconds. When my senses finally came back to me I glanced around to see if anyone noticed my spill. I only saw Luffy and Usopp playing with snowmen and then destroying them, no one was paying attention to me. Phew, I got away with that one.

I chuckled mentally for a few seconds, my chest making an amused rumbling sound. My eyes widened further as I saw a flash of lightning arch across the sky. No way, not was only was it was snow, but it was a storm too! Awesome!

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I heard Nami scream and I was almost tempted to ignore it, so I just laid in the snow and listening to what everyone said.

"W-what is it?" Usopp yelped.

"What's the matter my beloved Nami?" I heard Sanji coo.

"TURN THE SHIP AROUND 180 DEGREES! HURRY!" Nami yelled at them.

"180 DEGREES? WHY ARE WE TURNING BACK?" Usopp yelled back at her.

"Did we forget something?" Luffy asked in his childish manner.

"NO! THE SHIP TURNED ITSELF AROUND AND IS NOW HEADING DIRECTLY AWAY FROM OUT DESTINATION!" She yelled, sounding rather flustered about it. I rolled back onto my stomach as she continued to yell, "I ONLY TOOK MY EYES OFF THE LOG POSE FOR A SECOND AND THE WAVES WERE CALM TOO…!"

I heaved myself off the ground and trotted lazily over to Luffy as I heard some mumbled talking inside the cabin.

"STOP ACTING SO HIGH AND MIGHTY AND START HELPING OUT!" I heard Nami scream and I saw the two hitchhikers come flying out of the door.

"CATCH A WIND FROM THE RIGHT SIDE! WE'LL USE IT TO TURN THE SHIP AROUND 180 DEGREES TO THE LEFT!" Nami started issuing out orders and I scampered up the stairs as I tried to get out of everyone's way. "USOPP TAKE THE JIB SAIL! SANJI, YOU TAKE THE RUDDER!"

The next few hours were chaos as I watch everyone tear around like headless chooks to complete the tasks they need to. The weather changed more than Luffy's moods and there was constantly some other danger like an iceberg that we had to try and avoid. I felt bad because being a dog there was still not much I could do to help in a storm. So I just tried to stay out of everyone's way. I watched everyone like a hawk though and after seeing people slip a few times, I found out what my job could be. I slunk around the deck and helped right anyone that slipped, or attempted to prevent them from falling. It was not a major job, but it help. It also stopped anyone going overboard.

* * *

><p>I was jolted out of my nap by a call of, "I SEE AN ISLAND!"<p>

I sleepily lifted myself back up to my paws and trotted to the front of the boat where everyone else was currently, thank God that evil weather had stopped. I had practically fallen over from exhaustion thanks to the evil, evil weather.

"I SEE GIANT CACTI!" Luffy yelled as I braced my paws on the railing next to him to look at what he was seeing. Sure enough we were sailing towards and island that had lots of giant cacti. "So this is Whiskey Peek!"

"Thank God we've arrived alive!" I heard the male stranger say in relief. "Now then! We ask you people drop us off here!"

I blinked curiously as the two strangers jumped up onto the railing.

"Thank you for taking us here, my honeys!" The female said. "If fate wills it, let us meet again!"

"Bye, bye, babies," They both said and at the same time they went springing back into the sea. I blinked owlishly as I stared after them; I hoped they'd be okay.

"They're gone…" Sanji muttered.

"Just what's up with those two?" Zoro sighed, although it didn't really seem like he cared.

"Forget 'em!" Luffy declared. "Prepare to land!"

"There's a river right up ahead. Looks like we can dock inland," Nami noted as we sailed closer.

"T-There won't be any monsters on this island now, right…?" Usopp stuttered in fear.

"Considering that this place is the Grand Line and all, I'd say there is a good chance," Sanji replied casually.

"Well, we can always run away if that's the case!" Luffy declared as he spun around to face Usopp.

"Just wait a second," Nami interrupted them as I turned my head around to watch them. "Don't forget that we have to stay on this island for a certain amount of time."

"Why?" Luffy asked stupidly. Did he ever listen?

"This Log Pose has record this islands magnetic field before we can move on to the next island!" Nami began to explain to everyone. "And the recording time varies for each island. There are some islands that only take only a few hours to record, while some take even a few days."

"T-Then even if we come to a horrible monster island that we want to run away from, it's possible that we'll have to stay there for several days!" Usopp yelped in worry, obviously not keen about the whole idea of log poses.

"That's right," Nami confirmed blandly.

"Well, we'll worry about it when it happens," Luffy chirped. "So let's just go already! It'd be weird not to go when there is a river in front waiting for us!"

"For you maybe…" Nami said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"No, what he says is right," Zoro interrupted her. "There's no use worrying about it, so let's go."

"I'll protect you Nami!" Sanji declared as he gave her the thumbs up sign.

"H-H-H-Hey, guys… Listen… I uh… I think I've suddenly developed a can't-enter-islands-disease," Usopp stammered nervously.

"… Fine, let's go," Nami said as she gave in with a sigh.

"I'm serious guys, my can't ente…" Usopp trailed off as he noticed no one was listening.

"Ready?" Luffy asked us all. "Be prepared to fight or run at a moment's notice."


	20. Moonlight Dance

**The next chapter is here. I dearly hope you like this one, it took me ages to write. Also, I am going to a quick shout to KONY 2012. I'm sure most of you have heard the term floating around by now. If you haven't I'd suggest doing so research on it.**

**A very nice reviewer and reader sent in a picture of Mamori and I thought I'd share it with you. reddragon64. deviantart. com/art/Mamori-Fanart-289373119**

**Thank you Red Dragon 64! :)**

**Anyway, as always, enjoy! **

* * *

><p>A thick fog had settled over the ship as we sail through the channel but my nose picked up the smell of life and a town. My ears flicked lightly as the mumbled sound of voices reached me, but I could still see nothing.<p>

As we sailed smoothly out of the mist and my eyes widened in surprise as I saw all the people lining the shore, all of them wearing happy faces. Behind them was a large city and many buildings the huge cacti in the distance behind the town.

"PIRATES!" Several voices called out from the shore. "WELCOME TO OUR TOWN!"

"Oh?" Luffy said in a pleased manner as he saw that the villagers were friendly and welcoming.

"Huh?" Usopp said in a dumbfounded way. "Not only are there no monsters, there're people greeting us."

"What's going on…" Sanji muttered as he glared suspiciously at the shore. My own eyes by this point had narrowed too as I stared at the people on the shore. Not all of them could be pirate hunters… Right? There a few women and kids in the crowd too… How could they all be pirate hunters?

"LONG LIVE THE BRAVE WARRIORS OF THE SEA!" Someone from the shore called out as they all waved and cheered us.

"T-There is a bunch of lovely ladies too!" Sanji exclaimed as his eyes landed on some women from shore.

"Talk about a warm welcome!" Usopp exclaimed as he blew kisses to the crowd. "Looks like pirates really are these people's heroes!"

"YAHOO!" Luffy yelled as he waved at the people lining the shore. Both him and Usopp were way too naïve…

* * *

><p>"Welg-Ahem! Ma, ma, maa~ Welcome, my name is Igarappoi," The odd looking man said from his place standing in front of us. Once we had docked the ship we had all jumped off and this is the man that came up to us and introduced himself. "This is Whiskey Peak! The town of music and liquor. It's our honor to welcome you. We have plenty of liquor here, please tell us about your journey. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to join a party."<p>

Everyone, myself included stared blankly at him for a second, a bit surprised by his warm welcome considering we were pirates. But of course the silence was quickly broken by Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy linking shoulders and yelling, "SURE!"

Nami ignored them and turned to more important matters. Or what she considered more important, "How long will it take to record the magnetic field of this island?"

"Record?" Igarappoi asked stupidly before dodging the subject. "We shall talk about that after you have rested."

He then pulled Nami towards him as he threw an arm over her shoulder causing me to growl softly in warning from the background. I saw his eyes flick curiously down towards and I meet his stare with a cold and malicious one of my own. Like hell I was about to let him mess with my friends and get away with it.

He quickly looked away from me though and cried out, "Let's party!"

* * *

><p>My ringing ears hurt, and don't even get me started on my huge headache. The people yelling and partying along with the loud music was like hell on my sensitive hearing and the people were everywhere in this place. I was struggling to not hyperventilate and freak out about all the people all around me because I wasn't about to go outside in this sort of place. Who knows what would happen? It was better to stick with everyone else.<p>

I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to take in a deep breath although it came out shaky. I then reached forward and stuck my nose out a bit from the cupboard that I have conveniently wiggled under when the party got too much for me. Someone had tried to offer me a rawhide bone and some water, but I wouldn't put it past them to drug it. So I had refused it and dove under the cupboard. At least from what I can hear around the room the others were having fun. I just can't wait for this night to end…

* * *

><p>Later we were all sprawled around the place and sleeping. I was curled into Luffy's side, one of his arms slung over my back as I felt his food stuffed chest rise and fall against my side. Some part of me was glad to see them all so happy; even in the dangerous situation we were in.<p>

After what seemed like ages, although there was no way to tell the exact amount of time, I heard movement in the room. My eyes sprung open as all the muscles in my body tensed, all my fur standing on end. I silently flicked my eyes to the side and saw Zoro picking up his swords and strapping them to his belt. I relaxed my body again and quietly slipped out from under Luffy's arm, hoping it wouldn't wake him up. My worry was for naught though, it doesn't seem like much could wake him up.

I saw Zoro stride towards the door; his body posture said the he was on a mission. I propelled myself forward and fell in step with him. I saw his body tense for a second as he flicked his gaze to the side. When he saw it was me he relaxed again, sending me a curious glance. That only lasted a second before he shook his head and flashed me a smirk, apparently approving of my presence. He inclined his head a silent greeting, and I repeated the motion. That was all that needed to pass between us before we set off. Apparently Zoro and I had some sort of understanding with each other. Interesting...

* * *

><p>"Hurry up and get their treasure out of their ship and tie them up!" Igarappoi ordered. "If we kill them we will get 30% less money because the government wants them alive to execute in front of people."<p>

"I'm sorry but I don't think they will let you do that even if they're tired from the journey," Zoro butted in from place siting cross legged on top of a building that shadowed over the pirate hunters. A let out a soft growl in agreement to his statement, my narrowed eyes staring down at the people below us. My own butt was also sitting on the building right by Zoro's side, but my head was held in aloof manner.

I cocked my ears as I heard a commotion coming for the bottom of the building, "Mr. Eight! Ms. Monday! One of them and the dog is missing!" A voice cried out as several people ran forward.

"Why you...! Weren't you passed out cold after drinking too much a moment ago...?" Asked Igarappoi as he learned the news.

"A real swordsman will never fall for a trick like that!" Zoro called out as he lifted one of his swords into the air. This time I stayed silent, calculating things. "So, this is the truth? This place is a place for pirate hunters who are waiting for pirates that are going to the Grand Line?"

Zoro pushed himself gracefully up to his feet as more pirate hunters began to gather below us, and I slowly stood up to my feet as well. I felt my stomach flopping in nervousness as I stared below us. There were lots of them against Zoro and I… I knew Zoro could handle himself, I just hope I don't get in his way. Well, he hasn't been training me for nothing. After the whole Arlong arc he picked up our training again. This time he taught me how to use the knife properly, how to hold it, to knock blows away from my body, and how to injure people. Apparently he has taken it upon himself to teach me, and oddly, not once has he even mentioned about how I got the knife. Everyone on the boat just seemed to accept it.

"One hundred hunters?" Zoro mused. "We will be your challenge tonight Baroque Works!"

I heard a few of them exclaim in shock at Zoro's statement, Mr. Eight calling out, "How do you know the name of our organization!"

"Back when I was a hunter, your company sent an agent to ask me to join you, I refused of course," I sent Zoro a curious glance, I didn't know that. "It was a company where every employee's past is a secret, and everyone will call each other by code names. And, no one will know who the boss is or where he lives. You are the ground mercenaries that follow orders without question! And you call yourselves Baroque Works. Haha, so this is a secret?"

"That's very interesting…" Igarappoi said after a pause. "Now you know out secret, we can't let you live. We will add one more gravestone on the Cactus Mountain. And I'll bury that dog with you."

I glowered down at the curly haired guy as he said that, my lips twitching to flash my fangs. Bring it on. I have beaten the Lionfish after all, some normal humans should be easier… Right?

"Kill them!" I heard Igarappoi order and I quickly sprang into action, flipping on backwards onto the building and ducking behind the ledge of it so that they couldn't see me. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Zoro moving as well, although he was gone from my vision quicker than I could see. He moved so fast it was insane!

"EH!" I heard of the crowd scream at Zoro and my disappearance.

"He's not there anymore!" Mr. Eight cried from below.

"Where did they go?" Called Igarappoi.

It was silent for a few seconds, the air thick with tension. I then could have sworn I heard several intakes of breath, almost tempting me to look over the ledge of the building.

"So?" I heard Zoro's voice ask from below, and I heard the humor in his voice. He was going to have fun by the sounds of it. "Shall we begin?"

I then heard several guns going off causing me to launch myself up, carelessly sticking my head back over the side of the building to check on Zoro.

"Idiots!" Igarappoi cried and I saw several pirate hunters collapse on the ground from apparently shooting themselves.

"It's impossible! He moves too fast!" A random pirate hunter cried and I saw a flash of white and green. It appeared Zoro was fine, while they're distracted I should get down from my perch.

I glanced down the side of the building and saw that it had several layers, a shelf every 5 or so meters down till it reached the bottom. I slunk to the side and took a breath in as I closed my eyes. Then, without giving myself too long to think about it, I flung myself over the side. I landed with a bit of a grunt on the shelf, but I was no worse for wear. Seeing that I could actually do this, I jumped down the last few shelves easily, landing in a dark alley. Now, for the plan of attack…

I listened for a few minutes as a commotion went on and then it seemed to calm down again. I slunk up to the entrance of the ally, staying in the shadows so that no one could see me. The moon's position was perfectly shadowing the alley so that no one could see in. Bonus.

I listened quietly and figured that they had lost Zoro already; he must be plotting a something already.

"Where did that swordsman run off too?" I heard someone growl.

"Is he really thinking of taking us on by himself?" A female voice hissed, and I twitched.

'_By himself?_' I snarled silently to myself in anger. '_Bitch please! Why does everyone underestimate me or forget about me!_'

I slunk fully up to the edge of the entrance, my gaze flickering around to the people that were oblivious to my presence. They pushed my buttons with that last statement, so I figured now was a good a time as any to let them know I fight and to kick their ass while I was at. I wasn't here to stand around and watch Zoro… I just had a subtle way about handing my affairs.

Most of the pirate hunters had their backs turned on me so it was easy for me to pick my prey. I let an impish smirk cross my muzzle, praying to God this would work. And with that said, I lunged.

* * *

><p>The pirate hunters were all gathered around, trying to figure out where the green haired swordsman could be hiding. A few of them were shifting nervously from his earlier show of strength, and others were gritting their teeth in anger.<p>

A grunt and a thump was heard from the back of the group, and by the time everyone spun around all they saw was the torso of a man, half dragged into the alley, his hands and fingers dug into the ground as he screamed loudly. The sound of vicious growls and snarls were heard over his screams as the rest of his body was dragged into the shadow and out of their view. As soon as his fingers were out of sight, leaving tracks in the dirt, all the sound was cut off. The growling and screaming had stopped as most of the pirate hunters stared into the darkness with a mix of shock and horror. A few of the braver pirate hunters pulled out their weapons and ran into the alley at the ready. After their vision cleared, the only thing they could see was they body of their colleague sprawled out on the ground. He wasn't moving at all and blood was running from his temple. There was nothing else in the alley with him from what they could see, leaving them all in shock...

* * *

><p>I breathed heavily as I pressed myself against the side of the building. That had turned out way better than I could have hoped for. The looks on their faces were priceless! As soon as I dragged the guy into the alley by his ankle I had knocked him out with the butt of my knife, jumped on top of a bin and launched myself back up onto the first shelf of the building. Apparently no one thought to look there for me here as I heard people exclaim in shock down below me.<p>

I stayed silent as some of the people moved away in search of Zoro, although some of the pirate hunters still lingered around beneath me. I stayed pressed against the wall, the cold of it seeping through my fur to help calm me down. Squeezing my ears closed so that I could concentrate fully on the sounds below I blocked out everything else around me.

"Got you," A voice whispered eerily through the air, causing me to completely freeze up in shock.

I vaguely heard the click of a trigger on a gun and that caused me to spring into action. Without a second thought, I launched myself directly away from the wall and the person behind me, straight over the side of the building and into the mob of people below. A loud bang echoed in my ears behind me as the gun was set off, bits of rubble flying from the place I had been mere moments ago. I felt fear creeping in my bones; I was way to close to dying there for comfort! I shouldn't have tried to be a smart ass and show off before! Look where it got me!

Out of the corner of my eyes I glanced back and my eyes widened in shock. Standing there, with the gun in his hands was the guy in the cloak. The one that gave me the knife! Why would he do that! Unless he wants me to fight these guys…

The people below me began to look up as I fell down and I counted around two dozen of them causing my eyes to widen even further. Without having too much time to plan anything I angled myself so that my front paws smashed into one of the men's head, causing him to go flying into the dirt with me on top of him. Having no time to breathe, I jumped back up and darted for the exit to alley. I flinched as bullet shots echoed in the alley, flying rubble hitting me as the shots just missed.

I gritted my teeth to hold in a yelp as a bullet grazed my left heel, barely scratching the surface; although it was still enough to unsettle me greatly.

Flying forward, I dodged around people and between their feet, a small part of me celebrating as some cries of pain came from behind me. Obviously they really were bad at aiming and they were hitting each other like they had done with Zoro before. Guns and small places didn't fit well together to say the least.

As I broke out of the alley, I flung myself to the left, out of the way of the bullets for now. I spun around and pulled my knife out of its holder and crouched down against the ground waiting. Running now would be pointless; it would only get me shot at more. It was better to fight at close range for as long as I can.

"GET IT!" I heard a voice order from the alley.

As the first man came running out of the alley and turned my way I was on him before he could realize what was happening. I smashed the butt of my knife into his forehead to knock him out, my paws balanced on his chest as he fell over. Before he had hit the ground I launched myself off him and directly at the next advancing bounty hunter. I heard shots echo, aimed for the place I had been seconds before. My blood was pumping in my ears, blocking out all sounds but that of the bullets and the rustles as people moved. Everything was happening so slowly, even my movements. But my mind was going a million miles an hour, thoughts popping in and out of my head before I had time to understand them. My heart was thumping against my chest as it tried to escape; my mind a flurry of instinctual survival skills. Fighting one on one compared fighting this many against you at once is insane. It wasn't like Lougetown where the pirates there weren't armed with guns and they were weaklings compared to these guys.

As I collided with the next guy's chest, I threw my knife up in the air and wrapped my jaws around his wrist. A crunch of bones echoed numbly in my ears as he cried out in pain and dropped his gun. I fell with him to the ground, jumping off to the side as I caught the knife awkwardly in my mouth. I was lucky enough to catch the hilt, another thing Zoro had taught me to do. I jumped to the right, over the fallen guy as bullets landed right where I was before, another man charging towards me with a club raised. This was the first time I took notice that not all the pirate hunters had guns, some used other weapons. From what I could see from the corner of my eye, only three more men were armed with guns. Another had a rifle and the rest had an assortment of other weapons. About ten of the men were already down, either from my attacks or from getting hit by friendly fire.

"DIE!" Mr. Club Man screamed as he reached me.

He towered over me as he swung his club in a downward arc towards me, his bulky body blocking the path of any bullets. I watched him is some sort of horror filled admiration, the club was huge and he was moving it around as if it was one of the foam noodles you use in a pool! I didn't have to long to stare though as the club came straight at me, causing me to throw myself to the right. I decided to see if something else worked because now I'm 'in the open' again I could get shot any second. I needed to keep moving. I ran straight at the wall, which was rather close. It took less than two or three bounds to reach it and I jumped against it. My paw slapped against the cold alley wall, my head twisting to survey my flight path. I pushed off the wall, flying upwards in the air. I twisted my body around so I was heading straight for the guy, my knife flashing ominously. By this time he had his club coming towards me like one would hit a baseball with a bat. I swore mentally at how fast this guy was, my front paws touching down against his club. How other people do this, I will never know. Pain shot up my legs, the unexpected force behind it causing me to grunt and flip awkwardly. I ended up flipping over the club and into the huge guy, my body connecting with his head. Before I had time to regain my senses I found myself on the ground, on top of the guy with my sight swimming dizzily.

"Get the dog now!" Another voice ordered, the sounds rolling around dully in my ears. I wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying.

I heard shots echo and I felt one skin past my shoulder blade causing me to yelp loudly. It was enough for my senses to snap back to me and I rolled off the guy, jumping to the left. I then darted forward in a zigzagging pattern, trying to avoid any more shots. The next two people I attacked were two gun men, my blade flashing in my grip as I charged. I launched myself at the first guy, still zigzagging to avoid getting shot. I drove the hilt of my knife right into his gut, causing him to keel over. I darted past him and straight for the other gun wielder, repeating the same thing. Shots kept echoing around the place though as the last gunman and rifleman kept trying to shoot me. The shots seemed to be closer and closer to hitting me, so I took another plan of action.

I threw myself to the right and jumped behind the metal bin from before, filching as I heard the bullets bouncing off the metal. I quietly slipped my knife back in its holster, trying to move as fast as I could. I could already hear people coming this way. I then reached up, grasping the lid of the bin and pulling it towards me so that the metal bin fell over. Before it hit the ground I grasped the handle of the bin lid and yanked it off the bin. The trash spilled everywhere as the bin clattered to the ground, the bin lid staying in my grasp. I held the lid in front of me as more bullets bounced off. The bin lid acted as a very, very handy shield. If only I could see past it!

I heard two men release some sort of a battle cry as they charged at me, so I started to run forward. I smashed the lid into the side of the bin and pushed it forward with the lid. The bin rolled in front of me and acted like a sort of odd, homemade bulldozer. When I was mere meters in front of the men I ground to a halt, the bin still flying forward. I quickly turned to the side, angling my bin lid so it mostly rested again my shoulder. I heard them both cry out as they fell over the bin. I let out a grunt as both of their heads conveniently smashed into the lid that I was holding, the force of the blow causing me to stumble back a few steps. I saw two spears roll past me, realizing that the spears were their weapons and if the angled them right on their fall they could have gutted me like a pig. It is so not safe to fight without sight…

More bullets bounced off the lid, snapping me back to the present yet again. For all the help my mind was in coming up with plans and strategies, it was hopeless at paying attention for a long amount of time. One more gunman and a rifleman were now my main adversaries that had to be dealt with. The others will be easier to deal with I hope. I charged again, straight to where I could hear the bullets of a gunman coming from. The bullets kept bouncing off my shield as I got, my blind charge shielded by the bin lid. My paws grasped the ground as I heaved myself forward. I calculated the distance roughly in my head, and when I was close enough I jumped, shield first. I smashed the shield into where I presumed the man's head was, and I was reward with a loud 'bang' as the lid slammed against flesh.

His body crumbled beneath me as I landed and stumbled away from him, a bit dizzy from the lid also smacking into my head from the rebound. I saw something moving in the corner of my eyes and brought my head around quickly to block something on my shield. It rattled and fell to the ground near my paw. I blinked owlishly at the chain for a few seconds before mentally swearing. How was I meant to fight a chain like that without my proper sight and movement! If I could safely take out that damned sniper so I wouldn't get shot in the back while fighting I would be right.

I decided to try and ignore the man with the chain, and charged past him to the side as I charged towards where the sniper should have been. I heard the chain coming for me again at the same time some more bullets bounced off my shield. I duck low to the ground, the bin lid dragging against in the dirt as I heard the chain go flying over me and impact on the wall. That didn't stop me, I had my goal set on the sniper and I wasn't about to stop.

The sniper kept trying to shoot me, and as I got closer I heard him fumbling a bit with his gun. No amount bullets he shot could stop me; they just bounced off my shield. When I was but a few paces away from him I heard him throw away his sniper with a cry, stumbling to get away from my charge. It was no use though, I just ran right into his legs, plowing him over. As he hit the ground I dropped the bin lid shield and jumped onto his chest. His hands came up to try and push me away as he cried out. I just threw my weight forward, the top of skull slamming into his chin. He slumped to the ground, out cold.

My victory was short lived however as I felt a chain wrap around my back left heel, my head snapping around in time to see the chain guy behind me. He sent me a smirk and roughly jerked his chain towards him so that I was thrown back, landing on my side in the dirt with a grunt. I snapped my eyes back open in time to see another two pirate hunters charge at me while the chain guy stood back, content enough with having his chain around my leg to hold me down. I did a quick assessment of my next two opponents; one was armed with an axe and the other with a sword.

The swordsman ran slightly in front of the axe wielder and because of the chain I wouldn't be able to dodge swing from such dangerous weapons. My best shot would be to run towards the chain wielder, so I have more room to move the end of the chain, and hope he doesn't have the time to tighten the chain before I dealt with these two lugs.

With that decided I rolled back onto my paws, jumping back up. My legs and muscles already protested, not being used to this much movement so quickly in such a situation as this.

I ran straight at the swordsman first, making a beeline to him. He began to swing his sword in a sweeping motion, coming in from the left. I threw myself against the dirt so that I skidded past him on my stomach, going under his sword. I then jumped back up and ran behind his back. As he twisted around to face me I kept going, doing a full circle around him and dodging his next swing again as I went. I then dashed past him, heading for the axe wielder now. When I got several paces away from the swordsman I was yanked to a stop by the chain around my ankle. I heard an exclamation behind me as the swordsman was yanked to the ground the chain. Now if the chain guy tried to tighten his chain he would pull in his friend first. I then purposely baited the axe man, dancing around on swift paws in front of him. He cleaved through the air with axe, the blade sliding past my fur. I felt the breeze that came from the moving object, but I smirk as at the last second I shifted my back left leg so that the chain just under his axe. The axe smashed into the chain and broke right through it. Image if that was my flesh and bone… Ouch!

"IDIOT!" I heard the chain guy cry out as his chain was broken.

I felt the chain loosen and fall off my heel as the axe wielder hefted his heavy axe up for another swing at me. I didn't give him time though as I threw my head into his crotch. This_ really_ was becoming a trade move of mine.

He squeaked in a high pitched voice, dropping his axe as he fell to his knew grasping his crotch. I quickly swiped my knife out of its holster yet again, slamming the hilt into his temple. Another one down. Two more to go.

I turned in time to almost get my tail chopped off by the sword wielder; apparently he had managed to get out of the chain already. He moved very fast and if I slowed down his speed I would be able to deal with him easily. I slipped past his sword and stuck the blade of my knife straight into his thigh. He screamed in pain and brought down his sword at me again. I quickly yanked my knife back as I threw myself behind him. I landed on front paw and pivoted around, pushing off with my hind legs as I threw my head into the back of his knees. His legs gave out on him as he fell to his knees and I smashed the top of my skull into the back of his head. He gasped slightly before slumping over. I was going to get permanent brain damage if I keep using my head as a weapon like this...

I slowly angled my body around so that I could glower at the chain man, the last one left to beat. He had a furious look on his face, his chain clenched between his hands. My tail raised stiffly behind my body as I began to growl at him, stalking forward in an ominous manner. The chain man threw the end of his chain up in the air, the chain spinning around like a blade of a helicopter. It made and odd whooshing sound as it swung in the air, but I ignored that, my options and battle plans flying through my head. I was a short range fighter; he was a long ranged one. This should be easy. I have the upper hand if I can get close to him. I would wait for him to make the first move though, because once his chain was throw it would take him time to get it back in to him again for use. I could use that time to get close to him. I slipped my knife away again. It wouldn't help a lot in getting past a chain.

I stopped, just within range of his chain, my blue eyes narrowed dangerously as I challenged him with my growl. We stared at each other for a few minutes, seeming to be at a stalemate. I could guess that he knew what my plan was. And I knew what his was. He would wait for me to move first; thinking that I was just a dumb dog.

The silence and the tension seemed to crackle in the air, as still neither of us refused to move. This was broken when I felt an arm encircle my neck, something cold pressing to the side of my head, just behind my left eye. My bandanna was squished down uncomfortably, but it somewhat shielded me from the tight grip. I heard an audible click and froze, seeing out of the corner of my eyes that it was the gunman from before. The one whose wrist I had broken. How he got that close I don't know; I must have been too busy concentrating on the chain guy.

"Don't move doggy, if you don't want your head blown off," Said Mr. Broken Wrist as he pressed the barrel of the gun further into my fur.

I glanced back at the chain guy, who seemed rather pleased with himself. Of course, he must have seen this guy coming towards me. He has a damn good poker face, which was all I could say.

"What are you going to do now?" Mr. Chain Guy taunted me. As if my pride wasn't wounded enough being caught like this, but this guy thought he could taunt me as well.


	21. What Did I Do?

**100 reviews! Woot! That is so awesome guys, thanks so much! Y'all are awesome! And thanks to 'The New Vampire' for being the 100th reviewer.**

**I have also noticed that there was been an increase in questions about Mamori being able to talk to Chopper. Yes, she can talk to him. Does that mean that things are going to work out simply? Not a chance! Ya'll just going to have to keep reading to find out how that goes down. In the future if you have a question I'm more than happy for you to send me a PM so that I can reply to you. Half the time I can only reply to a handful of reviewers because I get too busy with others things and forget who I have replied to and who I haven't. So please, if you'd like a question answered please PM me. I'm always more than happy to have a chat with my readers. Unlike Mamori I'm not likely to bite, haha.**

**Thanks to my beta Praeses, my wonderful readers and to my magnificent reviewers! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm myself down in an attempt to keep my cool. I didn't need to fly off the handle already; I should be able to beat all these guys! I just need to get out of my current predicament. They need me alive right? That should at least hold them back a little bit from killing me, if only slightly.<p>

Plan, plan, plan. I need a plan! Ah, got one. I let my body go limp; my legs giving out on me as I slumped over. The man tightened his arm around my neck so that my head was held up, that caused me to a make a choking sound. I could have thought of a better plan! He didn't let go of me at all and his gun stayed where it was. If I could only reach my knife!

"Hey, don't be doing any of that now!" Mr. One Handed Gunman snapped as he tried to heft me up again with him arm.

I turned my head around slightly, the gun still pressing against it. I looked him straight in his eyes and let out a whine, using my version of the puppy eyes. He froze, unsure how to react to my sudden change of personality. I used that moment to my advantage, betting my life on a gamble of my abilities. My head shot out like a striking snake, the gun slipping along my neck. My jaws clamped down on his wrist and I made sure to grind my back teeth as I snapped around his bones. His gun was dropped as he cried out in pain again. His arm came off of my neck as he tried to pull back from me, so I dropped my grip on his wrist. I then drove the top of my head under his chin, ending his struggles against me.

As he fell to the ground I scrambled back up, my legs feeling a little bit like jelly from having such a close call yet again. Before I even had a chance to turn to face the chain man, he launched an attack on me. Apparently he had been ready for me to beat his comrade. I felt the chain snap around my right fore leg this time and he yanked it at least three times as hard as he did last time, my leg being awkwardly pulled away from my body.

_**RIIIPPPP**_

I heard the odd sound echo in my ears, numbing my mind, but the pain was immense. I let a screaming yelp vibrate through the air as I felt the muscle in my leg tear. My body was yanked through the air, hitting the dusty ground roughly. I slid for a few meters, instinctively curling up my injured leg up to my body. I laid on the ground for a few seconds for a seconds, my body shaking as the pain from leg radiate through my body.

'_That sound wasn't normal at all! It sound like my muscle tore completely in half!_' I gasped. '_Actually... It probably did. What was that called? A torn ligament? That's just about as bad as a broken leg!_'

I wasn't given much of a chance to organize myself as the chain man pulled the chain tight yet again, pulling my injured leg out from my body. I yelped from the pain again, a variety of different swear words from seven different languages flying through my mind. I quickly scrambled up to my feet to save myself the pain, only three of my legs on the ground. My front right was lifted off the ground, the chain still wrapped around it.

"Not so good are you now, dog?" The chain man snickered, much to my disgust.

I was pissed now, that much was for sure. My head whipped around, drawing my knife in one fluid motion. I saw the chain man slide the other end of the chain through his hands so that he was holding it somewhere about the middle. He then began to spin the other end like he was doing before when he distracted me. I wasn't going to give him a chance to get me again like that.

I closed my eyes, taking another deep breath as I tried to control the pain of my leg. I then jumped awkwardly forward, taking off in a charge towards him. It turned out to be a limping gait as my injured leg skipped over the ground, nowhere near stable enough to sustain any weight. Even if I was limping I still managed to run quickly, and I saw his eyes widen in surprise. Apparently he hadn't counted on me being able to run this fast while still injured either.

He quickly launched the other end of the chain at me, but since I could see it this time, I could easily deal with it. I waited to the last second before jumping to the left. The chain collided with the ground as I stumbled when landing. Going from using four legs to three isn't as easy as it seemed. I then started my charge again, making a direct beeline at him now that he had used all his options with his weapon. I saw his eyes widen in panic as I got closer to him, glancing around for something else to use. I jumped at him as he tried to dive out of the way. Unfortunately for him, I was too fast for him, a normal advantage for a dog when dealing with humans. Even if I was injured.

I had a split second decisions to make, and I'm ashamed to say that I considered both. A hit in the gut with the hilt or the blade. I was oh so very tempted to use the blade. And I was damn close to as well. But, at the last second, I changed my mind, and drove the hilt point blank into his gut. He collapsed to his knees, gasping, although it didn't knock him out. His hand shot out and grabbed my injured leg right were the chain was. He pulled the leg, clenching down with his fist at the same time. He tried to pull me off of my feet, but I drove the blade of my knife into his shoulder. He cried out in pain and I pushed it further in with a growl. His body then sagged against the ground and he laid there panting. I slipped my knife out of him and smashed the hilt into his forehead with a snarl.

I got some sick satisfaction from seeing him finally go down. Finally I looked around me, my chest heaving and falling with exhaustion. There were people sprawled out everywhere and it looked like a bomb had gone off. How odd… I did all that. It was hard to comprehend when I really thought about it. How did I go from a normal girl to a dog that could take down a bunch of men so easily…?

Suddenly, I remember who got me into that mess. It was damn cloak guy! My head snapped to the side, glancing to where I had last seen him, but there was no sign of him. He wasn't part of the pirate hunters… Right? That just wouldn't make sense. I bet that asshole just wanted to test me. What does he think I am? Some subject for his insane test?

I shook my head to clear the thoughts, more than happy to hurry up and get out of there. I slipped my knife back in its holster and reached down to tug at the chain. It easily slipped off but the pain from even a slight touch of my leg had me whimpering. Son of a bitch. Honestly, I think I should just be glad I made it out alive.

I quickly scurried my way out of the alley, limping as I went. It was time to find Zoro again.

* * *

><p>I was limping along the street and I could have sworn I heard sounds coming from here before!<p>

"Ah…" I heard a voice sigh and I recognized it as Zoro's. "It's become quiet again."

I tilted my head, following the sound to the top of building. I saw a convenient staircase that led up the top of the building so I began to limp up it. It was harder then it seemed with only three legs, but I made it. I pulled myself onto the roof platform as Zoro looked my way, his bottle raised to take a swig. He was drinking! Now of all times! Bloody men!

I limped towards him and I saw him raising an eyebrow at my condition, his eye flicking down to my injured leg before looking back at me. I sent him a glare that clearly said, '_don't ask!_' and continued shuffling towards him. I saw blood on his forehead, causing me to frown in worry. I stopped by his side, bracing my one front paw on his thighs, reaching my head up to study his wound.

"Hey! Get off!" He said, gently trying to push me back. I just growled pissily at him and pulled back seeing that the wound was nothing major. I then flopped lazily to the ground by his side, a long sigh slipping out. Finally a rest! I was content to lay here with Zoro; if anything was going to happen he would be able to warn me beforehand.

I let my eyes slipped closed as I heard him muttering, "Was that just my imagination? I thought I just heard something?"

* * *

><p>"Not good, Luffy is caught out in the open," Zoro said, causing my eyes to snap open with a start.<p>

'_What mess did Luffy get himself in now?_' I snapped with a frown.

I wiggled forward to look over the edge of the building along with Zoro and saw that below the building there was a fight going on between Igarappoi, Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine, and two other people. One new female and one new male.

I watched as it got worse and Luffy was in danger; the idiot was still asleep in the middle of the fight. He still also had a HUGE stomach from all the food earlier. He looked like a large rubber balloon!

"Follow me," Zoro commanded as we both climbed down. I limped my way around the fight while Zoro went in to get Luffy. As he started to drag Luffy out of the fight I saw one of the two new people, the male, flick one of his boogers which went flying past us and exploded! Rocks and dust flew everywhere from the impact. What the fuck!

I saw Igarappoi grab Zoro leg as he laid on the ground, begging Zoro to save the 'Princess'. We were meant to pick up a Princess weren't we? It must be Ms. Wednesday! Gods, I am so thick! That probably meant the Curly Man's name wasn't Igarappoi either... Mr. Curls started babbling about a reward to Zoro before a voice interrupted.

"A reward you say? Alright then!" Nami chirped as she sat atop a building, watching us. "How about 1 billion beli?"

"Nami!" Zoro yelped, surprised to see her too. I stayed silent, hanging back away from everyone else as I watched.

I zoned out again as Nami began bargaining with Mr. Curls; instead watching where the blue haired Princess and another random woman had ran to off before. It will do her no good to get killed before we can help her.

I watched owlishly as Luffy woke up; and I almost went running up to him, but something told me to hold back. He walked away in a random direction and as I turned to let Zoro know, I also saw that was walking away. I sprang after him, trotting with a limp to catch up to him. He must be going to save the Princess on Nami's orders, I should probably try to help as best as I can.

As I caught up with again he glanced back at me with a growl, "You should have stayed with Nami. You probably can't fight with that leg."

I answered his statement with a growl of my own, my tail swishing in annoyance. He could stick that up his ass!

* * *

><p>I hung back again as Zoro launched himself in the path a booger bomb that was about to take out the Princess and the odd bird she was sitting on. He held his blade so that the booger split in two, and went flying either side of them, exploding as it flew past them.<p>

"Who is he?" Tch'ed the man with dreadlocks.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAD TO CUT A FREAKIN BOOGER!" Zoro cried out, making the funniest face and body expression. I could have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Why do you have to block my way now of all times!" Ms. Wednesday cried, spinning her pendulum and trying to hit Zoro in the back of his head. Zoro just swung his sword backwards, snapping the string of the pendulum.

"Calm down. I've come to save you," He hissed, although he didn't seem all that pleased to be saving a Princess.

"Wah..." She stuttered. "Save me?"

I slipped past the two people that now our adversaries as I limped over to Zoro and Ms. Wednesday's side.

"Oh, you're the swordsman and dog who defeated all the low-ranking agents in this town, aren't you," Ms. Umbrella Chick observed.

'_Finally! Recognition_!' I yipped. '_Wait… This is not a good thing!_'

"Why would someone like you be trying to protect Alabasta's Princess?" Mr. Dreadlocks questioned Zoro, his arms crossed.

"I have my own circumstances," Zoro said with a shrug.

"Well, whatever," Mr. Dreadlocks dismissed us. "You're in our way in case.

"Kyahaha! That's right! Since you're in our way…" Ms. Umbrella Chick pulled off her hat as she smirked at us. "Allow me to bury your face under the ground with my ability."

That didn't sound good… What was her ability?

"ZOROOOOOOOOOOO! MAMOOOOOOOORRRIIII!" Luffy's enraged voice screamed out as I saw him charging at us out of nowhere. I violently jumped in shock as my name was mentioned, my eyes going wide. What had I done to piss him off?

"What is it this time?" Ms. Umbrella Chick asked, turning around to face Luffy as he came to a stop on the other side of her and Mr. Boogers.

"Luffy?" Zoro questioned him at the same time I let out a whine, my ears folding back against my skull. "What now? If it's about help, I don't need it. Or do you owe that woman something as well?"

"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU GUYS!" Luffy screamed in rage. "FIGHT ME!"

"WHAT!" Zoro yelped in shock and I took a step back, staring in shock at my Captain. I was not about to fight him! There is no way I could fight any of my friends! What did I do to upset him? I swear I didn't mean to, what ever it was! "What kind of idiotic things are you sprouting now!"

"Shut up! Ungrateful bastards like you need their asses kicked!" Luffy snapped back at us.

"Ungrateful?" Zoro questioned him.

"That's right!" Luffy answered him. "I can't ever forgive you guys..."

I left out a soft whimper a Luffy's words; they were worse than physical wounds. What does he mean he can't forgive us? What did we do…

"HOW DARE YOU GUYS CUT UP, KNOCK OUT, AND BITE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE TOWNSPEOPLE AFTER THEY GAVE US SUCH A FRIENDLY WELCOME AND FED US YUMMY FOOD!" Luffy screamed at us, his arms thrown into the air.

Zoro made an odd face as he muttered, "Ah… Well I did cut them up…"

I wiggled over to Zoro, pressing my shoulder against his leg in an attempt to try and calm myself down and get some sort of comfort. Surely Zoro could just explain it to him!

"H-How dense could you be...?" Ms. Wednesday muttered in astonishment.

"Luffy, listen to me," Zoro tried to reason with our captain. "The town's people were actually-"

"DON'T MAKE EXCUSES!" Luffy cried as he appeared before us, his fist pulled back to hit Zoro.

"WHAT!" Zoro yelped, eyes wide as he tried to dodge the attack. He shifted his head to the side so the fist went right past him and into the wall that behind us. It broke straight through the wall, shattering it to pieces. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!"

I skittered out of the way like a startled rabbit, stumbling a bit from my sore leg.

"YEAH!" Luffy grunted. "DIE!"

"Wha!" Zoro exclaimed again as Luffy attempted to kick him this time. I'd managed to skitter back far enough as not to get by Luffy's attack as I stared on in confusion. I wanted to help Zoro but I didn't want to go against the Captain! "Hey! Just listen to what I am saying!"

"HEY!" He yelped as Luffy tried to head-butt him this time. "Damn it! He's serious about killing me!"

I watched in silent apprehension as Luffy continued to throw blows at Zoro, my tail tucked in-between my legs. My eyes widened as Zoro finally kicked him back, sending him straight through a wall!

"That retard!" He hissed as he clenched his fists. I quickly slunk back over to Zoro's side, watching him in concern. As I reached him, a building near us exploded causing me to flinch violently in shock. My nerves were so shot at the moment!

I saw something shoot out of the building, it was that bitch with the umbrella. She used the umbrella to steady herself in the air as she cried out, "UGH! I've had enough! Let me kill you off already with my Kilo Kilo fruit's ability! Kyahahahaha! Prepare yourselves! Right now my weight is only 1 kilogram, allowing me to float from the shockwave created by the explosion!"

"But I'll now…" She started to say as she bent her legs, starting to come down towards Zoro.

"Mr. Bushido! Dog! Watch out! That woman is-" The Princess started to say.

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped, cutting her off.

"Wha?" She yelped, eyes wide.

"I don't have time to listen to either of your two blabbering on and on!" Zoro hissed, gritting his teeth with a dark look on his face. "Mamori, get back out of the road."

I did as he said, limping back over close to the odd duck the Princess was sitting on, a soft whine making it's way out of my throat. I watched the Luffy came waltzing out of the rubble, also wearing a dark face.

"Ah, that made from good exercise!" Luffy said as he patted his stomach that had shrunk. He had the front of the booger guy's shirt in his hand, dragging him along. "Finally managed to digest all the food I ate…"

"Mr. Five!" The Princess yelped. So that was the booger/dreadlocks guy's name. "It can't be! An officer of Baroque Works was…!"

"Time to get serious…." Luffy said eerily, glaring at Zoro and I.

"Luffy, just calm down and listen to me," Zoro attempted to reason with him once more. "The people of this village were actually all bounty hunters. Meaning, that they're our enemies."

"D-Don't ignore me!" The Umbrella Chick cried out from above Zoro, my eyes flicking up for a mere second to look at her. I quickly put my attention back on Luffy again, this situation was far more serious.

"LIAR!" He cried loudly. "WHAT KIND OF ENEMIES WOULD FEED US!"

Is it really always about food with Luffy? Wait. Don't even bother answering that.

"Hello! Are you even listening! My ability allows me to freely change me weight from 1 kg to 10,000 kg in the blink of an eye!" Ms. Umbrella Chick screamed in rage at being ignored by us.

"Eat this! 10,000 KILO PRESS!" She cried, heading towards the ground like a bullet. She collided with the ground right behind Zoro, but he just ignored her and the small crater she created.

"Seems like you just won't listen to anything I have to say…" Zoro sighed, pulling out his bandanna and tying it around his head. "YOU SIMPLE MINDED IDIOT! BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO GET SERIOUS SO WILL I! JUST DON'T COMPLAIN AFTER I KILL YOU!"

"Fine by me!" Luffy snapped as Zoro pulled out his katana.

"Wait a second! What is going on! Aren't you two friends!" The Princess cried, causing me to drop my head. They are friends. I can't believe Luffy is doing this because we saved our asses from being killed by bounty hunters!

"GOMU GOMU NO..." Luffy started too chanted as he spun his arms around, charging at Zoro.

"ONI!" Zoro cried, also charging at Luffy.

"BAZOOKA!" Luffy cried as he slammed his attack into Zoro.

"GIRI!*" Zoro also yelled at the same time, carrying out his attack. The shock wave from it was immense. It had me squeezing my eyes closed from the flying dirt.

When I snapped my eyes open again, I saw that they had blocked each other attacks and it had become a stare off between the two!

"This'll be a good chance to see which is stronger… Your unarmed combat… Or my sword fighting!" Zoro said, gritting his teeth.

"Good! Let's make it clear once and for all!" Luffy agreed, but it wasn't in a good way.

I couldn't follow their movements as they attack each other once again, they were a blur. But it didn't take long for them to both go flying back into walls, smashing through them. I started to shift my weight back and forth on my hind legs in nervousness.

It was silent for a few seconds, the tension eating away at me.

"What do I do…? I want to run away but I wonder if I'll be safe just passing them by," Ms. Wednesday mumbled and I sent her glance, not saying a word.

"KYAAA!" Ms. Wednesday and the bird screamed at the same time I jumped. Zoro and Luffy broke out of the walls they had gone through, charging at each again with battle cries.

I watched silently as they attacked each other again, their limbs and weapons a blur to everyone else's eyes. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Mr. Booger and Ms. Umbrella Chick charge at them, meaning to attack. I let it be, knowing that they could deal with them.

"God, you two are annoying," They both stopped, turning around to say that. The other two froze in shock, Ms. Umbrella wrapping her arms around herself in fright.

"ACK!" Mr. Boogers choked, his jaw dropping.

"You're…" Zoro and Luffy muttered darkly, both jumping forward at the same time to knock both of the away. They went flying away over their heads. "GETTING IN THE WAY OF OUR FIGHT!"

"So damn annoying…" Zoro muttered to himself.

"Who are they anyway?" Luffy finally had the brains to question the situation. Only after he beat the crap outta them. Typical.

"It can't be…!" The Princess gasped in shock. "How could there be guys as strong as them so close to the Grand Line's entrance!"

"Should we continue then?" Zoro asked, glancing at Luffy from the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah," Was Luffy's simple reply.

They both went to swing their next attack when they were both sucker punched in the side of the face. They both went flying back as Nami cried, "STOP IT!"

I don't think I have ever been so glad to see that woman! I didn't hesitate to see how Zoro and Luffy were going to react, I bolted for Nami. I limped up to her at a hurried pace, my tail wagging a million miles an hour as I reached her side.

"Just what the heck do you think you're doing!" She chided them. "Well, in any case I guess I should at least be glad that the girl is safe."

'_Ah, of course. It's all about the money,_' I snorted but at the moment I didn't care though as I pressed my muzzle into Nami's hand, whining at her. She looked down at me, raising any eyebrow.

"You should have stopped them," She informed me and I froze. She was right! I should have… Could have… Why didn't I?

She walked over to the two idiots, pulling them up by the front of their shirts, "But you were about to cost me my 1 billion beli! Do you understand!"

"What are you talking about?" Ms. Wednesday asked Nami in surprise. "And why did you save me?"

"Ah, that's right," Nami said as she tried to keep Luffy and Zoro apart as they kicked and pulled each other's hair like kids. "You don't know anything yet… How would like to make a contract with me?"

"A contract?" The princess sounded hesitant.

"SETTLE DOWN ALREADY!" Nami cried as she smacked the guys in her grip down to the ground again.

* * *

><p>"HAHAHA! You should have said so earlier!" Luffy laughed gleefully and sitting atop a barrel. "I thought you and Mamori went and attacked those people because they didn't cook your favorite food or something!"<p>

'_IS HE REALLY THAT THICK!_' I snarled mentally as I glared at him.

"WHO DO YOU THINK I AM!" Zoro snapped at him, leaning forward from the crate he was laying against. I let a bark to echo his statement as I sat by his side, my right fore paw still hovering above the ground.

"HAHAHA! Well, whatever. What's done is done!" Luffy continued in his laugher, his carefree manner pissing me off. He had attempted to kill me and Zoro and now he was laughing it off!

I heard Nami and the Princess talking from the background but I zoned out again, my brain finally allowed to wander. I hated listening to long winded speeches. Must have something to do with my short attention span.

They continued talking about Alabasta, the war, and Crocodile but suddenly they all went silent. This snapped my attention back to them in curiosity.

"Didn't you just say his name…?" Zoro muttered, glaring at her. What?

Suddenly, we all seemed to get the same chilling feeling causing us all to look the same way. On the roof of a house, not far away from us, was some sort of vulture and otter in a polka-dot suit. They stared silently at us before the otter jumped on the vulture's back and flew away…

Next thing I knew Nami had the Princess by the front of her shirt, shaking her back and forth as she screamed at her.

"HEY! WHAT IS THAT VULTURE AND OTTER? DON'T THEY GO REPORT TO YOUR BOSS THAT WE KNOW HIS SECRET? TELL ME!" Nami raged at Ms. Wednesday.

"I'M REALLY SORRY! I DIDN'T INTEND TO TELL YOU! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Ms. Wednesday sobbed as she was shaken by Nami.

"YOU THINK SAYING THIS ACCIDENTALLY MAKES THIS ANY BETTER! WHY DO WE HAVE TO BE HUNTED DOWN BECAUSE OF A SINGLE SLIP-UP FORM YOU!" Nami continued to scream at the poor girl as I sat there watching still trying to figure out what it all meant. They must be talking about Crocodile, and how if you find out who he is, he will kill you. "We just barely entered the Grand Line and we already have a Shichibukai chasing after us!"

"Yeah! We are really lucky to be able to meet him so early," Zoro said nonchalantly from beside me causing me to audibly sigh.

"I wonder what kind of guy he is?" Luffy questioned.

'_Crocodile is a bad guy. Simple as that,_' I deadpanned mentally.

"SHUT UP YOU TWO!" Nami snapped at them before starting to walk off. "It's been a real short time traveling with you, but bye!"

"Where're ya' going Nami?" Luffy asked her.

"They don't know my face yet so I'm running away!" She snapped back at us over her shoulder. I let out a soft whine, looking between Zoro, Luffy, and Nami. She couldn't leave!

Zoro looked down at me, also with a deadpan expression, saying simply, "Watch."

I looked back up to where Nami was walking as saw that she had stopped right in front of the otter and vulture. The otter quickly drew something up on a piece of paper and showed us. It was a picture or Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and I. I had to hold myself back from jumping up and running to Nami's side. As far as I can guess, those two won't hurt her right now.

"Wow, you're good!" Nami congratulated the otter, clapping her hands. Then she spun around and came storming back our way as they otter flew off with the vulture. "NOW I CAN'T EVEN RUN AWAY!"

"Interesting bunch, those animals," Luffy noted and I was inclined to agree with him.

"Where were you even planning to run away to?" Zoro questioned Nami with a sweat drop. "In any case, with this all 4 of us are now on Baroque Works' hit list…"

"This is so coooool!" Luffy exclaimed with his goofy face on. I wasn't really sure how I felt about this. I just sorta knew that it had to happen one way or another… Why should I care either way?

Nami sat down on the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs dejectedly.

"I… I have 500,000 beli in my savings account that you can have though…" The Princess tried to comfort her; she seemed like a really nice person now.

"FEAR NOT!" A voice cried out and we all turned around to see Mr. Curls standing before us, dressed as the Princess in the swirly top and shorts. Simply put, he looked ridiculous… "It'll be arri-Ma, ma, maa~ It'll be alright! I have a plan!"

"Igaram! What with that outfit!" Ms. Wednesday cried out in shock, walking forward. Oh, so Igaram was his name.

"Whoa! You can definitely pull off that look!" Luffy complimented him like the idiot he was. There is no way that Igaram looked normal. None whatsoever.

"I'm surrounded by idiots…" Nami mumbled, still in her ball of misery.

"Enough about that and just listen to me. Once the Baroque Works's network learns of what happened, they'll be sure to send pursuers right away. More so, since you even defeated Mr. Five and his partner!" Igaram pointed out.

Was I the only one who noticed that not long ago he tried to kill us?

"Just to let you know, although the boss has no bounty on him since he is now a member of the Shichibukai, back in his heydays as a pirate, Crocodile had an 80 million beli bounty," Igaram continued with a grave look. "By the way, have you decided on whether or not to safely escort the Princess back to Alabasta yet?"

"Huh? What're you talking about?" Luffy asked him, blinking.

"He means he wants us to take her back home," Zoro replied to him, jerking his thumb in the Princess's direction.

"Oh. Sure, fine by me," Luffy replied.

'_Luffy, sometimes I really love you. You are so cute!_' I giggled to myself. '_You have no idea what you even just agreed to, but you were more than happy to do it! So naïve! I think I can forgive you for trying to kill me now… maybe. We'll just have to wait and see_.'

"80 MILLION BELI! THAT'S FOUR TIMES ARLONG'S BOUNTY! JUST REFUSE HIS REQUEST!" Nami screamed at Luffy, she was yelling a lot again.

"Now then, Princess. Please hand me the Eternal Pose to Alabasta," Igaram requested of the Princess.

"Huh? What's an Eternal Pose?" Nami asked, her head turning around suddenly.

"Hm? You don't know?" Igaram asked her, shocked. "Simply put, it's a log pose that can eternally record a magnetic field. A normal Log Pose records the magnetic field of an island to guide a ship from island to island. However, the magnetic field recorded by the Eternal Pose is never forgotten and no matter where you go, it will point to that very island. That is what an Eternal Pose is. This one in particular has recorded the magnetic field of Alabasta. Now then Princess Vivi. I shall take this Log Pose and set forth for Alabasta while disguised as you and taking these three dummies to represent these three wanted pirates. And while agents of Baroque works chase after me, you are to travel on the normal route to Alabasta on their ship. I haven't sailed to Alabasta using the normal route myself, but there should be around 2 or 3 Logs to record along the way. Take care, and may we meet again in our homeland."

* * *

><p>"I hereby leave the Princess in your care," Igaram told Luffy. We were all by Igaram's boat now, ready from him to set sail. I was sitting by Zoro's side again; my damn leg was aching like a bitch.<p>

"I bet you'll totally fool them!" Luffy chirped, referring to Igaram's costume and dummies.

"Fool who?" Zoro snorted, crossing his arms. I let out a soft bark in agreement, tilting my head to the side as I looked over Igaram's terrible costume again. I don't think it would fool anyone!

"The journey ahead of you may be dangerous so please be careful," Igaram pleaded with Vivi, reaching out to shake her hand.

"You too, Igaram," She replied simply, flashing a smile at him.

I watched silently as he climbed aboard and sailed off under the moonlight; good luck to him.

"Aww, he left… He was such a funny guy too…" Luffy complained with a pout.

"He's always been so dependable," Vivi said, clasping her hands together as she watched him sail away.

Zoro, Nami, and I stayed silent through the whole thing.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Everyone stood there, watching in shock and horror as the boat exploded into a burning ball of flames. I tucked my ears back against my skull as the sound almost made my ears bleed.

"It can't be…" Nami mumbled in shock as everyone stared on silently. "Pursuers! Already!"

I turned to Luffy, seeing what he was going to do in this situation because I personally had no idea how to react…

Luffy spun around, snorting angrily as he yelled, "HE WAS A FINE MAN!"

Nami and Zoro spun around along with Luffy getting ready to walk away. I was still sitting there staring numbly with Vivi. That guy… He was alive a few minutes ago. Surely he couldn't be dead that easily? That was too easy…

"Nami! How's the Log!" Zoro demanded, stepping into his place as second in command.

"It's finished recording!" Nami replied nervously, also shaken by the turn of events.

"Then let's hurry up and get going!" Zoro order.

"Mamori!" Zoro then snapped causing my head to shoot up and look his way. "Let's get going."

I shook myself out of my shock and jumped up to my paws, limping after them all. I left Nami to deal with Vivi.

"Luffy! Go wake those two up and bring them back to the ship!" Zoro ordered as we ran, he was really good at organizing things when need be. "Mamori and I will be going ahead to the ship first!"

"Alright! Leave it to me," Luffy said, running off to do as order. I followed Zoro, well stumbled after him due to my leg. I wonder if using it so much was going to make it worse...

* * *

><p>*Demon Slash (also a pun on rice ball)<p>

A Shichibukai is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.


	22. Not So Normal Birds

**Wow, we are almost at 100,000 words! :) Thanks for all of you that have stuck with me for this long; I have a surprise chapter that should bring the story up to 100,000 words. I hope you guys like it; I'll get it up as soon as I can.**

**Yet again, thanks so much to everyone who reads my story, reviews, favourites it, adds it to story alert and so all. You guys are all awesome!**

* * *

><p>"Ngh," Zoro grunted as he tried to heave the anchor up over the bow of the ship; I had a grip on the back of his shirt and was pulling back. I was sort of awkward because I could only use one of my fore paws to push myself back, but that didn't stop me. Finally, after a bit of a struggle, we managed to pull it over the side. We were now ready to set off.<p>

"HEY!" Luffy's voice cried out and my head shot up, glancing in-between the railing to see Luffy running towards us, dragging Usopp and Sanji after him. Usopp by his nose and Sanji by his ankle, to be exact. Wasn't he meant to wake them up? Not drag them here and half-kill them? "I brought the guys!"

"Good! Now get on. We are ready to leave at any moment," Zoro said, huffing a bit from how quick we worked to get the ship ready. My own chest was heaving and falling and bit, but it was tolerable.

"Huh?" Luffy said, glancing back at Sanji and Usopp who were unconscious. Again. "Are you guys still asleep?"

No, Luffy darling. I think you killed them….

"No! We don't have time to go looking for him!" Nami cried out as she walked up the gangplank with Vivi.

"But I can't just leave him here!" Vivi argued with her.

I tilted my head curiously to the side as I watched and Zoro called out, "What's wrong?"

"She says her duck is missing, and won't come even after whistling for him," Nami replied, glancing back at us.

"You mean him?" Zoro asked, poking to a large duck that appeared by our side. That fucking thing… Just about gave me a darn heart attack! We had got onto the boat and I found myself face to face with the stupid thing! It had been cowering on the ground, waiting for Vivi! "He got on the boat even before us."

"THAT'S WHERE YOU ARE!" Both women screamed in anger at the duck as he quacked and waved.

"Turn the boat to head down the river and we should be able to reach the ocean!" Vivi informed us once they had all climbed in board. "We have to leave as quickly as possible."

"WE'RE OFF!" Nami cried as we set finally managed to set sail.

"Hey, so how many guys are gonna come after us?" Luffy asked Vivi, although it seemed like he didn't really care.

"I can't say for sure," She replied. "There are reportedly 2000 people working for Baroque Works. Towns like Whiskey Peak aren't uncommon either…."

"You mean we could have 1000 people after us!" Nami exclaimed as she held out her hands. My head was shifting in between them as they talked, I was sitting back resting my leg now.

"It's possible considering how serious knowing the boss' real name is," Was Vivi's discouraging reply. Charming.

I sighed, finally lying down from exhaustion. It wouldn't matter if I had small nap, right? I hope not…

* * *

><p><em>Something was buzzing in the back of my mind, something annoying that was pulling my consciousness to the surface. Groggily I groaned, my head felt cloudy, like there was a haze over my thinking process. I felt like I had taken some sort of drugs to sleep, and that it hadn't worn off yet. I tried to crack my eyes open, but they felt heavy as my mind slowly stumbled to life.<em>

_I slowly noticed what had woken me up; an annoying ache in my arms, the muscles in my arms screamed in compliant. I didn't bother opening my eyes; it seemed like too much trouble. I tried to lift my arms up, to stretch them and get that annoying ache out of them. I moved my arms slightly but something stopped me from moving them any further. Something was restraining my arms. What in the world? I wiggled my arms, trying to figure it out as I squeezed me eyes and crinkled my nose in concentration. Wow, my mind really was on vacation today. Everything was coming to me so slowly._

_I let out a sigh eventually, as every way I wiggled my arms held no release for them. What was keeping them tied up? I slowly cracked open my eyes, snapping them close again as the light assaulted them. I groaned in annoyance and wait for a few seconds before slowly cracking them open again._

_Slowly my sight came to me, and all I saw was a dull white-grey color. My brows furrowed in confusion, my brain slowly processing what the meant. I was on the ship with the others not long ago right? We were heading on our way to Alabasta… Right? Then what the hell happened? Suddenly I have arms again?_

_I flicked my eyes down to my and froze, my mind coming to a screaming halt. More white. But that wasn't what worried me. What worried me was the fact I saw white pants. Pants that had a pair of human legs occupying them. My mind wheeled around in confusion as I attempted to push myself up._

_My arms still weren't obeying me, so I had to wiggle myself up. All my muscles protested, it felt like I had laying one spot for ages! What the hell was happening?_

_When I wiggled my way into an awkward sitting position and finally managed to look down at my chest, I paused again._

_My brain suddenly felt like it was given a kick up the ass and I screamed. Very, very loudly. My arms where wrapped in a straight jack! A straight jacket with buckles holding in my arms which were folded across my chest!_

_I panicked, tugging futilely at my arms to free them as tears began to gather in my eyes. My chest began to heave as I took big gulping breaths in. I was panicking for sure. A confused sob wracked my body._

_What was happening! I was back in Braylie's body! I was not on the boat with the guys, but instead I was back in the nuthouse. I wasn't in that small room I had before, I was in a plain white room with a fucking straight jacket on me! Why? What happened? Why was I here? I want to go back to the others…_

_Another sob wracked my body as I flopped to the ground, curling my body into a ball on the ground. I tucked my head into my leg as tears streamed down my eyes, body shaking. You know how people cry and apparently the only bad thing that happens is their make-up smudges? Yeah, well that doesn't apply to real life. I crieded and sobbed with loud sounds and had snot running down my nose. I also took gulps of breath every now and then as my body shook, a choking sounds escaping my throat as I didn't get enough air between sobs. I looked and sounded like a dying whale. I normally wouldn't behave this way either, but I just felt so damn sad…_

_When I finally managed to calm down, which seemed like it took a while I laid still on the ground. I felt numb again._

_Suddenly it felt like I was shoved backwards into my mind, no longer in control of my body. I knew this feeling! The dog in me was taking over!_

_I heard a door crack open as someone came in the room… I hadn't noticed that before. I was too busy crying._

_I heard several pairs of footsteps coming further into the room, the door closing behind them. They came towards me, or the dog. Whatever way you look at it, I wasn't in control of my body again…_

_I… Er, my body, started making some sort of grunted growling sound. It was not the sounds I make when I am Mamori, it was a messed up sound. Human vocal cords don't produce growling very well after all._

_Someone latched their hand around my arm, pulling me roughly up to me feet. Another hand grasped my other arm to stabilize me. The growling picked up as my world spun a mix of white and blue. Being lifted off the ground after lying there so long wasn't fun._

_When my body finally managed to focus its sight again, I saw a man in blue standing before me. In response to seeing him my body started to thrash, pulling it's lips back in a feral snarl._

_"Come on now, just let me give you your meds and we will leave," He tied to convince my body, but it was having none of that._

_He sighed, pulling a needle out of his pocket as he stepped closer to my body. It froze, and I wondered what was running through the dog's mind as this guy approached us. I knew enough about dogs to know that once they froze you were in trouble. It was a final warning of 'back the fuck up or will eat you.'_

_It seemed this guy didn't get it, or he thought he was safe because he had to other people holding my body still._

_He reached his hand out, seeming to be heading for my neck to stick the needle in. After all, it's not like he could get it through my straight jacket very easily. The needle was just about to touch my body's skin when the dog retaliated._

_My head shot out, snapping its teeth around the guy's wrist. Human teeth might be blunt, but they could still draw blood if you bit right. A dog was the better than humans at biting anyway, so it had a pretty good idea of what to do. The guy screamed out in pain as the needle clattered to the ground, trying to pull his arm back._

_My body's teeth didn't let go as he pulled, but it was forced to let go as she was yanked back by the two people holding her. Shouts echoed around her as the doctor clutched his wrist to his chest, my body being thrown to the ground. A heavy weight was thrown on my back, one of the guys that were holding me before I am guessing. He pinned me down as more shouts echoed around my ears._

_"We warned you she bit and growled like a feral animal!" I heard someone protest._

_My body wiggled and thrashed, growling, howling and screaming in rage. I felt a prick on the side of my neck as the other guy that had been holding me before stuck it in. I felt the liquid it contained seeping in. The effects were almost instantaneous. All the sounds around the dog and I faded out, our limbs growing heavy. My sight slowly slipped away as I slipped back into the void of unconsciousness. The last thing I felt was a heavy sense of sadness from the dog. Sadness and longing._

* * *

><p>I was jolted back to life by loud voices, my head shooting up with panic. I quickly glanced around for a second, fearing that I wouldn't be back on the ship. Thankfully I was though. That dream was scary… No. It is not a dream. Definitely not.<p>

My head felt clearer than before and I could think again. It must have been the meds that made me act like I did back there, with the slow train of thought and the crying…

'_Don't think about it,_' something urged me. '_Thinking about it will make it real.'_

I was inclined to agree with that urge, shoving it in the back of my mind. Instead I went off to find the others as confirmation that I really was back…

I found then on the main deck just as someone said, "The fog is lifting, it's almost morning."

I was glad to see them all with my own eyes as I limped towards them, my tail wagging pathetically.

"Be careful not to crash your ship on the rocks near the shore," An eerie voice said. "And congratulations on your escape. What a nice ship."

Everyone's head, mine included shot around to see a woman in a cowboy hat sitting nonchalantly on the rails.

"WHO'S THAT!" Vivi yelped in shock as I began to growl softly.

"I must tell you Ms. Wednesday; I met up with Mr. Eight just a little while ago…" The new woman said in an eerier voice. Something at the back of my mind was telling me that she had something to do with Crocodile.

"Are you saying… It was you who did that to Igaram…!" Vivi said, breathing heavily.

"Hey! Why're you on our ship anyways!" Luffy demanded from her.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING ALL THE WAY OUT HERE MS. ALL SUNDAY!" Vivi screamed as I continued to growl at the woman, my ears folding back against my skull.

"Who is it this time! Whose partner is she?" Nami yelped, turning to Vivi.

"She's Mr. Zero's partner…" Vivi told us as I limped up to her side. If anything she'd be Ms. All Sunday's target. Why wasn't Vivi's duck out here helping her? Blah, I'll have to do it for the duck. "She's the only one who knows Mr. Zero's true identity which is why Igaram and I tailed after her to find who the boss as well!"

"Well, technically it was more like I let you trail me…" The woman pointed out to Vivi, placing her chin on her hand.

"Oh, so she is a good guy?" Luffy asked Vivi, crossing over his arms.

"I ALREADY KNEW THAT! AND I BET YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOLD THE BOSS THAT HIS IDENTITY WAS LEAKED!" Vivi screamed at the Ms. All Sunday, ignoring Luffy.

"Oh, so she is a bad guy!" Luffy exclaimed, coming to a conclusion.

"Just what exactly is your objective!" Vivi yelled at Ms. All Sunday, she needed to stop getting so riled up. It would only encourage this bitch…

"No need to get so worked up," Ms. All Sunday decided to point out. "I only let you follow me because you looked so desperate… And it was too amusing to observe. A single Princess who foolishly thinks she can take on the entire Baroque Works organization and save her kingdom…"

"DON'T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE ME!" Vivi screamed at her in rage after a pause.

My growling picked up a notch, with my lips pulling back into a snarling. Suddenly though I cut it off as everyone else went silent. Sanji and Usopp had appeared on either side of Ms. All Sunday, Sanji with a gun, and Usopp with his slingshot.

"Hey… Do you understand what's going on…?" Usopp mumbled at Sanji as she kept his aim on Ms. All Sunday.

"No…" Sanji said, gritting his teeth. "But what I do know for sure is that this woman is a threat to my lovely Miss Wednesday!"

"Would you please mind," Ms. All Sunday started to say as suddenly, without moving a finger Sanji and Usopp were thrown over the railing and towards us. "Not pointing such dangerous weapons at me."

"WHAT!" Zoro exclaimed in shock as he watched.

"IT'S A DEVIL'S FRUIT!" Vivi informed us quickly.

"OHHH!" Luffy said, he sounded interested.

"IS IT A DEVIL'S FRUIT! WHAT ABILITY DOES SHE HAVE!" Zoro demanded loudly.

"WHOA! SHE'S A REAL BEAUTY!" Sanji cried out, suddenly getting up with hearts in his eyes.

"Fufufu… No need to get so riled up," She pointed out to all of us, crossing over her arms. "I haven't come here on any orders nor do I have any reasons for fighting you people."

Suddenly an odd wind swept by Luffy, picking up his hat and flying it though the air and into Ms. All Sunday's awaiting hand.

"So, you're the captain of the Straw Hat pirates," Ms. All Sunday pointed out, staring at his hat. "Monkey D. Luffy."

"AH!" Luffy screamed as he watched his hat. "GIMME BACK MY HAT! SO YOU ARE TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT WITH US ARE YOU NOW! I'VE NOW DECIDED TO SEE YOU AS MY ENEMY, SO COME AT ME!"

"How unfortunate… Small time pirates having to look after a Princess targeted by the entire Baroque Works Organization," Ms. All Sunday said as she placed Luffy's hat over her own cowboy hat. I took a limping step forward, placing myself in front of Vivi as my warning growling started up again. "And a lone Princess having to entrust herself to a few small time pirates… But above all, how unfortunate your route pointed out by your loge pose is… The name of the next place on your journey is, 'Little Garden'. Even if I weren't to lay a singer finger on you, it's still more than likely you'd still never reach Alabasta! Without even meeting Crocodile, the curtains will close on your missions and lives."

"AS IF WE'D JUST ROLL OVER AND DIE!" Luffy screamed at her, his fist clenched to his sides. "NOW GIMME BACK MY HAT!"

"Yeah, how dare you. Y-you big meanie!" Usopp cried from behind the mast he had hidden himself behind.

"How old are you?" Muttered Zoro as he sweat dropped.

"Enough howling, anyone could put up a brave front," Ms. All Sunday said, still smiling as she flicked off Luffy's hat, letting it flip back down to him. "Yet to know of the difficulty that lies ahead and still rush in is an act fit for fools."

She threw something at Vivi, over my head. Vivi caught it and gasped, "An Eternal Pose!"

"You'll be able to write over your future troubles with that. The needle of that Log Pose points to an obscure uninhabited island located right before Alabasta. Moreover, the route you'll be navigating on is unknown to Baroque Works so you won't be followed by anyone either."

"What? Is she not a bad person then?" Nami asked in confusion, she was just as confused as the rest of us though.

"W-Why would you give me such a thing?" Vivi asked her, suspicious of her actions

"It's probably a trap," Zoro pointed out blandly.

"Oh, I wonder about that…" Ms. All Sunday hummed.

Luffy's arm stretched over me and to Vivi's hand, taking the Log Pose out of it, "Enough wasting time."

With that said he crushed the Log Pose in his wands, leaving me gaping. He did seriously just do that didn't he…?

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT!" Nami screamed, kicking him fair across the face. "SHE CAME OUT ALL THE WAY HERE TO TEACH US THE SAFEST ROUTE TO ALABASTA! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IF SHE TURNS OUT TO BE A GOOD PERSON!"

"DON'T YOU DARE THINK THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE THE PATH OF OUR JOURNEY!" Luffy raged at Ms. All Sunday, completely ignoring Nami.

"I see…" She whispered, still smiling. "Well, I don't dislike bold men… Let us meet again soon if you survive."

"I don't wanna!" Luffy exclaimed childishly.

I watched silently as she walked off the boat, jumping over the side on to a large turtle. Once she had sailed far enough away I relaxed, my fur settling down again. That was interesting for sure…

* * *

><p>"I see… Well, that's a shame I guess that also means that I've still got a chance to shine," Sanji smirked, exhaling a mouth of smoke. "So don't worry! Now that the sleeping Prince has woken your safety is guaranteed!"<p>

"Wow… I'm glad I slept through all that!" Usopp exclaimed as his jaw dropped. Of course he was.

We were all sitting just outside of the main cabin now that we were out and sailing again. Luffy was sitting on the railing; Zoro and I were sitting on the ground and leaning against the railing next to him. Nami and Usopp were standing up and leaning against the railing, Sanji hovering in front of Nami and flirting with her. Vivi stood back from the rest of us, watching for now.

"Are you jealous Nami?" Sanji cooed at her.

"Not really," She replied with her arms crossed, seemingly saying the truth.

"Well you can count on me to back you up! The whole world's talking about whether or not the 30 million bounty isn't actually for my head instead!" Usopp boasted to Vivi whilst holding up Luffy's wanted poster, although it didn't really seem like anyone was paying attention.

"I wonder if it's going to snow…" Luffy mumbled to himself. I hope it did snow again, I love the snow!

"Why the hell would it snow?" Zoro snorted at Luffy's comment.

"You just don't know because you were sleeping when it was snowing the other day," Luffy told him as Zoro gave him an odd look.

"Hey!" Luffy called to the others, turning around to face them. "Do you think it will snow some more?"

"I hope not," Nami said, I bet the snow would make it a pain in the ass for her to navigate though.

I noticed Vivi had been silent the whole time, and I decided to try and get her included. It was killing me to just sit back and watch her. I got up from my sitting position, and limped towards her, wagging my tail.

"Hey, guys!" Usopp called. "What happened to Mamori? She's limping."

I stopped my advance towards Vivi, turning my head to glance back towards Usopp. Took him damn long enough to notice.

"Don't know," Zoro replied with a nonchalant shrug. "It probably happened when she was fighting with the pirate hunters."

Usopp just frowned and walked towards me, squatting down in front of me. He reached out his hand, grabbing my sore paw to have a look at it. Pain shot through my leg all over again and my fight or fight response kicked in. I let out a loud yelp, wrenching my leg from his grip and I took off at run, diving behind Zoro.

I pressed myself against Zoro's side, my head sticking out to look around him sheepishly. I saw the others looking at me with some sort of shock at my overdramatic reaction. Zoro just looked down at me with his eyebrow raised.

"You can't walk up to an animal and grab them like that," Vivi scolded Usopp after a few seconds of silence. "She doesn't know what you were trying to do, you probably just scared her."

Wow, way to make me sound like a dumb brute of an animal. It was just my instincts kicking in, I felt guilty about it already... I bet I scared the shit out of Usopp; he was just trying to help. I looked at him and confirmed my suspicions; he was sitting back on his ass in shock. But at least Vivi was now included in the conversation, right?

Vivi walked towards Zoro and I before squatting down like Usopp did and holding out her hand. She started making cooing sounds, calling me, "Come here doggy, it's okay. We're just trying to help you."

I felt very, very indignant. I was not some dumb animal that couldn't understand anything! I didn't need someone to use the baby talk on me!

To make my point clear I folded my ears back against my skull, growling softly at Vivi for a few seconds. I saw her eyes widen before I cut off the growl. I then slipped out from behind Zoro, trotting towards Vivi. I saw a smile growing on her face as I got close to her, but I quickly wiped it off as I just limped straight past her. I swished my tail in a dismissive way as I waddled past her, heading straight for Usopp.

His eyes widened as he saw me coming towards him and he started spluttering, "I-I'm s-sorry!"

I cut him off with a pissy snort and shoved the top of my head against his chest, pressing it there. He shut up for a few seconds before hesitantly reaching up to pet me. I let out a content purring sound as he did so.

"I-I..." Vivi spluttered from behind me, not really sure how to react to my odd behavior. I heard Luffy burst out laughing from behind me at the same time Zoro snorted amusedly, causing a smirk to cross my muzzle.

* * *

><p>"Well, it's not like it never snows or anything, but that part of the Grand Line up to the very first island is special," Vivi started to lecture us. Usopp had wrapped my leg up with a bandage while I fidgeted all the while. It was really uncomfortable and annoying, but not as bad as the time I had to have bandages around my chest. For all Usopp's boasting and lying, he is a really decent person at times. "The 7 magnetic fields that stretch from Reverse Mountain clash together to make things more unpredictable. So you can't let down your guard even for a minute. Even though it would be quiet rare to encounter such bizarre conditions once you've passed the first island, Grand Line is still by far the most difficult ocean to navigate. So, it's absolutely imperative that you never underestimate the sea!"<p>

Vivi suddenly got an angry look on her face, her head snapping around to glare at the main deck. Until that point I had been zoning out on Vivi's lecture, but I kept my eyes on her. It seems though, that everyone had wander off at some point, not paying attention and had sprawled themselves out laxly on the front deck of the ship. I blinked owlishly as I looked at them.

"Anyone up for some special drinks?" Sanji asked them, holding out a platter of drinks.

"YOU BET WE ARE!" Cried Zoro, Usopp, and Luffy. The Duck just quacked along with them.

"ARE YOU SURE THINGS WILL BE FINE LIKE THIS!" Vivi screamed at Nami as came out of the main cabin, holding a drink for herself and offering one to Vivi.

"It'll be fine," Nami tried to sooth her. "They'll work hard when we come across rough seas. It's not like they want to die or anything."

"That's true… But at this rate we might be caught unaware," Vivi pointed out with worry as Nami, Vivi and myself turned our attention back to the slackers on the front deck. They were all sitting in a circle and the duck seemed to be… drinking?

"Oh, looks like the duck knows how to drink!" Sanji exclaimed, smirking. "Tastes good, right? Drink up, buddy!"

"Hey, Usopp can you make us some fishing rods?" Luffy asked Usopp and he sucked at his straw.

"Fishing, eh? Not a bad idea," Zoro commented.

"Sure thing! Let me just fire up my ol' artistic skills to create masterwork fishing rods!" Usopp agreed to Luffy's request.

"Being on this ship sure makes you lose the will to even worry, doesn't it?" Nami asked, drawing our attention back to her.

I let out a loud snort, flicking my tail against the ground in disagreement. I've never worried more in my life since coming on this ship. These guys drive me nuts with the stupid things they get into! And how close the always seem to come to death! I bet I'm already getting grey hairs!

I saw Nami flick her eyes down to me with a curious look before smirking and looking back up to Vivi, "Mamori here seems to act like a mother hen most of the time, but when we are relaxing on the ship she relaxes as well. Who couldn't worry about what these guys get up to when they get off the ship?"

Vivi stayed quiet for a few more seconds before smiling at Nami and I, "Yes… It is quite relaxing..."

I shook my head, smirking slightly myself. I then jumped to my feet, waddling over to the main deck to see what the guys were doing. Too much 'girl talk' over there.

Just as I reached the main deck I heard Sanji point out, "Hey, look! It's a dolphin!"

"Oh, it's so cu…" Nami cut herself off as all our admiration turned into shock and horror.

The dolphin that jumped out of the water seemed to be HUGE. Like 20 times the size of the boat.

"IT'S FREAKIN' HUGE!" Several voices screamed as everyone got into positions.

"Let's run away!" Luffy cried out.

"Aye-Aye cap'n!" Zoro said with a smirk as he ran off to do his job.

I was still standing on the deck by this time, staring at the huge dolphin. You know… Nami is right. In its own way this boat is relaxing because I know these guys will help keep everyone safe. This crew was like one huge family.

I shook my head, limping off to see what I could help with.

* * *

><p>"There's no doubt about it. Our next destination is that island!" Nami cried out as we sailed towards the island.<p>

"WOHOOOOOOO!" Luffy cried very loudly, to the point I was sure that everything on the island would have heard him. "OUR SECOND ISLAND ON THE GRAND LINE!"

"We should be careful, I'm worried about what Ms. All Sunday said," Vivi warned us as we all gathered onto the main deck. We slowly began to sail into a river that flowed into the heart of the island. Little Garden? Hmm, what do I remember here? … Dinosaurs and ... Giants…? That sounded about right, it doesn't sound good, but it rangs a bell at least.

"Y-Y-You don't think there are monsters here do you?" Usopp stuttered in worry.

"Beats me," Sanji replied with a shrug, his arms crossed. "But we gotta stock up on food soon, I wasn't able to stock up at the last town. But man, just look at this place. It's like a land yet to be explored by people. The island is thick as a jungle."

"So this is Little Garden…" I heard someone mumble behind me as I crept up to the railing, jumping up to brace my paws against it. My leg was feeling a little bit better now; I could brace some weight on it. But Usopp said that I shouldn't go running around anytime soon.

"Just what about this island is _little_?" Nami snorted in reply. "And look! I've never seen any plants like these even in my encyclopedia!"

**GYAAAA**

**GYAAAA**

The sharp cries had me flinching, my ears snapping back against my skull from the pain.

"KYAA!" Nami yelped, covering her head with her hands. "What was that just now!"

"Terrified Nami is sooo cute!" Sanji swooned at Nami's reaction. "Don't worry; it's just a normal bird. And even this island is nothing but your average jungle."

I turned my head around to watch the so called 'bird' slowly fly towards us. Oh boy, Sanji, you were so wrong!

"A lizard…?" Luffy muttered in confusion as the bird got closer so we could clearly see that it looked like a mix between a bird and a lizard.

Suddenly a loud sound caused the boat to shake, the water surrounding us rippling. I dug my claws into the railing to keep my balance, my ears staying tucked back against my skull.

"Does this sound like your average jungle!" Nami yelped after the sound had stopped.

"That sounded like a volcano exploding or something!" Usopp screamed as he clutched his head.

**GRRR**

The sound that clearly screamed 'feline' had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I watched in shock as a large tiger stumbled down to the water ledge, falling over just as it reached the water. Blood spluttered out of its mouth and side, leaving me to gape at it.

"THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT NORMAL!" Nami swung around to scream at the others. "OTHERWISE WHY WOULD A TIGER, KING OF THE JUNGLE, COLLAPSE IN IT'S OWN BLOOD!"

With a sigh I dropped my paws off the railing, turning around to trot over to Nami. I didn't relish the idea of being on an odd island with dinosaurs and giants, but I wasn't screaming about it. Nami had a bad habit of screaming all the time though.

"Alright, then it's decided. We are not to set foot on this island," Usopp said, nodding his head. By this time I had reached Nami's side and I reached up, poking my nose into her side. She looked down at me in confusion and I just wagged my tail, tilting my head to the side. She sighed and reached one hand down to pat me, seeming to calm down a bit.

"Let's just quietly wait on out ship, and leave the very second log pose finishes recording!" Nami planned, her tone calmer then before as she continued to pet my head. "After all, we have to hurry on to Alabasta as soon as possible."

"Sanji!" Luffy's voice rang out as everyone turned their heads to face him. "Prepare a lunch box!"

Why do I not have a good feeling about this?

"A lunchbox?" Sanji questioned him curiously.

"Yeah, a pirate lunchbox!" Luffy exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. "I smell adventure ahead!"

…Of course he did, of _course_ he fucking well did… What was I going to do with him?


	23. Omake

**Wow….That's all I can say. Wow. I'm blown away. The story has now got over 100,000 words. This is my second story that I have tried to write and it's so much more successful then the first. Before this writing was boring to me, I only liked reading. At some stage though I got sucked into writing this story….and well, I haven't been able to stop as of yet.**

**I hope you guys like this chapter anyway, it's an Omake that I made because I wanted to do something special. It's set before they reach Little Garden, so it has nothing really to do with the plot line. I will get straight back to the main story after this chapter so, so don't worry!**

**While I'm blabbing on, I need to give a special mention to those people who've help with this story. Below is lists of people who have add my story to their favourites, added it to story alert or reviewed. If I have mucked up anywhere, missed anyone or misspelt their name I am so sorry! Feel free to message me if I have and I'll be sure to fix it. Anyway, these following people are my new best friends;**

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**...You have no many idea how many time I went over the alphabet in my head to put that in alphabetical order. Lol! xDD A special thank you Smile Ren, Serendipital, Stella Spirit and Zaralann for all your reviews and for sticking with the story. You guys are awesome, you're all reviewed multiple times; I love you guys! xDD**

**Thank you to anyone who has even so much as glanced at my story. Words cannot express how awesome you guys, everyone should give themselves a huge pat on the back! Without this story would not continue, so everyone that contributes the tiniest bit is helping to continue this story.**

**There is one more huge thank you I'd like to issue. This thankyou goes to someone who has been more than a huge help to the story! Without her this story would have never have come this far or look as good. The story would be riddled with my stupid typos, name mistakes and just general mistakes in the plot line. She has always been very helpful and always has time to check over my chapters. She is always great to bounce ideas off, help break my writers block or to just chat to. Thank you so much **_Praeses**, **_**words can't beginning to express how grateful I am for your help! You're awesome so give yourself a huge pat on the back! :)**

**Remember, if you have another questions feel free to message me guys, I can't always reply to reviews!**

WARNING: This chapter is not connected to the original plot line. It is an Omake. The main story will get back on track straight after this story.

**ENJOY AND THANKS GUYS!**

* * *

><p>'<em>How the fuck does something like always happen?<em>' I mentally screamed to myself. '_HOW?_'

This morning had started off perfectly normal. I had been sitting up on top of the cabin all night as I lazily watched over the ship. This was almost a nightly occurrence; I kept watch over the ship all night and one of the others might pop up occasionally to help for a few hours to give me a break. I really was like a guard dog. Zoro had been out for a few hours last night, helping me keep watch on the ship. Jeez, and the others complain we have too many naps but they generally actually get sleep through the night.

Anyway, that had been all good and stuff, nothing seemed to happen all night but the ship rocking on the water. The sun had begun to rise on the horizon, casting it's soft light over the sea. Seeing that it was almost time for me to take a nap to offset the sleepless night, I had jumped off the cabin roof and onto the decking just outside the kitchen door. I stumbled the landing a bit as my sore leg refused the hold any weight causing me to grind my teeth together as I tried to keep my balance. My leg was a lot better after a short rest, but it still refused to hold my weight correctly even with the bandage on it.

I heard something shuffle around on the main deck just outside the main door, so I had scrambled down the steps quickly, presuming it had been one of the others that had woken up and came onto the deck. I jumped the last few steps, landing awkwardly again but I quickly corrected myself and spun myself around to face the door. This takes me back to the start of the story, an explanation for my exclamation before.

I came face to face what seemed like a large silk thread straight in front of my face. I stopped, blinking before looking around. It seemed like there was millions of the large silk thread all over the deck. How had I not noticed this whilst watching over the ship last night? Then I saw it.

Against the side of the cabin was a spider. But no, it couldn't just be a normal spider could it. Nope, because things don't like be nice to me. This spider was in no way what I would consider 'normal'. The best word to describe this odd spider that was perched on the right side of the wall next to the door was 'titanic'. But, even that description was an understatement. This thing was fucking ginormous. It was the size of a small car and it was clinging to the wall. On our ship. Right in front of me.

I stared awkwardly at it, not really sure how react straight away. It seemed to be in the same predicament as myself as it's eight huge black eyes blinked back.

'_Fuck my life…_' I cried in despair at the spider finally chose what to do.

"_Hsss,_" It made a grunted hissing sound and raised its front two legs up in a defensive position, flashing its two huge fangs as it opened its mouth.

I watched as something dripped off its left fang, splattering on the deck. The wood sizzled under the liquid, a small stream off smoke rising as the wood seemed to be eaten away by the liquid.

I still, to this point, hadn't really been able to decide what I was feeling. It was a mix of shock, fear, awe, anger, defensiveness, and horror. The emotions seemed to keep flipping and switching around as different thoughts ran through my head. First, how the fuck had we not noticed this thing before? Second, how does a spider get this big? Third, what the fuck was I going to do now?

I lived in Australia as I grew up as Braylie, so spiders were nothing new to me. I had seen my fair share of spiders in my life; spiders were a daily occurrence in Australian life. I was never scared of spiders, they ate insects and so long as they weren't in my room I ignored them and let the go about their daily business.

This was a completely different matter altogether though; this was no normal house spider that one would find in an urban situation. Hell, you wouldn't find this thing anywhere in real life. It was way too damn big. Why did the Grand Line need to have creepy stuff like this? We only just got here for God's sake!

"_Hsss_," It threatened me again while I did nothing, tensing its muscles as it shifted in a striking position. It seemed to have decided I was a threat to it and it want to attack me. Either that or it thought I was it's next meal.

'_Oh my, oh my, oh my!_' I panicked a bit. '_I don't think I've seen any giant bug spray cans around here anywhere…_'

The door next it suddenly swung open, revealing Nami standing in the door way. She had her arms stretching above her head as she yawned.

"Good morning Mamori," She greeted me drowsily as she dropped her arms back to her side.

'_GET BACK INSIDE!_' I screamed at her as I bolted awkwardly towards her in a rush as the spider sized her up without her knowing. I had to duck under what I could only presume what its web threads; I'd be stuffed if I got caught in its web. Thankfully though, my small size was coming in handy as I ducked, twisted and weaved my way through.

"Huh?" She mumbled as she looked over the webbing on the deck and then she shifted her gaze towards the spider slowly as if she felt like she was being watched. I saw the look of terror slowly crossed her face as she spider looked back at her, still flashing its fangs.

"_Hsss_," It hissed at her as another drop of venom dropped onto the decking.

"KYAAAAA!" Nami screamed very loudly and the sound caused a chain of reactions.

She threw herself back in the room as the spider lunged at her, leaving another thread against the wall. I jumped as well, reaching the door before the spider did. I pulled my injured leg up against my chest as far as I could as my, my left front paw slamming against the door. The force of my impact pushed the door back in motion, starting to swing it shut. Before it was fully closed my back feet caught up with the rest of body, thumping against the wooden door. I used that force the slam the door closed the rest of the way as I pushed back off the door, soaring through the air as the large spider slammed full force into the door.

I saw the boat rock a bit from the impact as the spider screeched in rage at being stopped from getting its meal. It was too big to have been able to get through the doorway anyway.

It rebounded off the door, and landed on the deck on its eight thick legs at the same time I landed on my three, still managing to avoid the erratic webbing. It scurried around so that it was facing me, its black eyes staring me down again. It lowered its abdomen down to attach the thread of webbing to the deck.

I got a better look at it now that it was standing on the decking and not attached to the wall. Its legs were as thick as poles and its whole body was covered in thick needle like hairs. Its body was different shades of brown and its fangs were as black as its eyes.

"_Hsss_," It crooned in rage as it began to scurry across the deck towards me, its eight leg moving as in quick concession. It seemed to just clamber over the webbing that was spread everywhere as if it had no trouble at all. It left another trail of its webbing behind it as it came towards me, no doubt trying to finish setting up a web.

I wasn't really sure how I was meant to handle this spider. Was I meant to kill it? Would I get in trouble for killing it? Did I need to just restrain it? Or throw it off the side of the boat?

I didn't have long enough to decide as it descended upon me, it's front two legs shooting at me like javelins. I quickly threw myself forward, ducking under its front legs before scrambling out from under the spider and dashing across the deck and away from it, keeping my sore leg close to my chest. Again I was ducking around the webbing that seemed to be attempting to catch me at every turn.

It just kept its back to me causing me to narrow my eyes at it.

'_What the hell are you up to?_' I muttered in confusion.

I saw its back to legs lift up to rest upon its large abdomen. The large hairs on its abdomen brushed against its back feet and I got a really bad feeling about what it was about to do. Something screamed for me to run.

I wasn't about to ignore my instinct so I quickly skittered to the side as it began to kick its back legs against its abdomen. It kicked tons of the hairs off into the air, sending them flying towards me. I had a flashback to the Lionfish incident as I felt one imbedded it's in the fur of my back left hip while I ducked under some webbing. It didn't pierce through my skin, but every time I moved I felt it poking uncomfortably into my side.

Suddenly, my attention snapped to the door on the deck as I heard loud voices behind it. It seemed that everyone had finally scrambled out of bed to see what was going on and Nami was probably telling them about the giant spider.

The door burst open, slamming against the wall as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji popped out at the same time, getting wedged in the door way as they all tried to get through at the same time. The guys pushed themselves apart, bouncing out the door only to come to a screeching halt as all three of them ran straight into the webbing.

"What!" Zoro grunted as he struggled against the webbing, only seeming to get himself more caught up.

"Gah! What the hell is his stuff?" Sanji asked out as he all also struggled against it.

"AWESOME!" I heard Luffy cried joyously as his eyes landed on the spider, he didn't even try to get loose of the webbing. "IT'S A GIANT SPIDER!"

'_That is not a good thing you idiot!_' I snarled in reply. '_How could you all charge out here to recklessly and get caught so easily!_'

"Oh no! They're all caught in the spider's web!" I heard Nami cry from the door way as she poked her head out of it, Vivi, and Usopp doing them same.

"No way! What is a Goliath Spider doing on the ship?" Vivi yelped.

"You know what it is?" Sanji asked Vivi as he continued to try and get free. The spider had stopped chasing after me to evaluate the newcomers caught in it's web.

"Yes, they are a spider that is only found on the Grand Line… Their web is ten times stronger than rope and it only builds its webs at night. They are carnivorous spiders that are known to eat animals as big as horses and cows. They also commonly eat humans too by setting up their webs to catch their prey when they get up in the morning. They have a bad habit of using their back legs to kick off the hairs on their back to they get attached to your skin or clothing to irritate your skin. It leaves nasty rashes," Vivi explain.

"H-How do we kill it though!" Usopp exclaimed.

"I-I don't know…" Vivi mumbled unsurely. "I've never seen one in real life before."

"Mamori! Kill it!" Nami suddenly ordered me seeing that I was their only chance of getting rid of the spider while the others were caught in the web.

I pressed my ears flat back against my skull and sent her a wide eyed look. I didn't want to get close to that thing only to bite it… Yuck!

"No!" Luffy object suddenly. "Don't kill him! I want him to join our crew!"

"WHAT!" Everyone seemed to yelp at once, all staring at Luffy.

"Are you insane!" Usopp yelled at him as he continued to hide behind the door.

A let out a few loud barks to echo what Usopp had said. No way in hell was that thing about to join the crew!

We didn't have more time to argue as the spider suddenly decided that it was sick as listening to us and is began to scamper over to the three guys trapped in its web.

"Damn it!" Zoro cursed as he attempted to reach his swords and failed.

I mentally sighed at how stupid this whole situation was as I jumped back into action, stumbling straight for the spider. I quickly slipped under a few strands of the web, jumping over another before lunging at the spider while it wasn't watching me.

I snapped my jaws roughly around its back right leg, jerking my head as I did so to pull the spider to a stop. It was so odd to bite an insect after biting only other humans and animals. There was no soft flesh to sink your teeth into. My teeth were jarred as the meet with the hard exoskeleton of the spider before I heard it audibly crack under the pressure of my jaws. The hairs on the legs tickled my mouth uncomfortably as some weird gooey like liquid leaked through the cracked leg and ran into my mouth causing to drop the limb and gag while the spider cried to rage.

'_Oh my Gods! What the shit is that stuff!_' I yelped as I continued to gag, it felt my whole mouth was burning. '_Note to self for the future! Do, not, bite the big nasty spider. It tastes like shit._'

"MAMORI! DON'T KILL THE SPIDER!" Luffy yelled at me.

"WATCH OUT!" I heard Vivi scream at me and I looked up in time to see I ton of spider hairs flying straight for me. It appeared to have used its left leg to kick it's hairs at me as it held its injured right back leg up in the air much like I was doing.

I done the only thing I could in that situation. I dove under the spider for cover. The hairs bounced uselessly of the decking off the ship as I darted straight under the spider and back out again, this time in front of it.

I quickly pivoted around to face the spider head on again, my body placed in the path of Sanji, Zoro, and, Luffy so that it would have to go through me to get to them.

'_If you don't want me to kill it Luffy, how the hell do you expect me to handle this mess?'_ I mentally spat at him. I couldn't disobey captain's orders, but I had to do something about this spider.

"Hey, Mamori, do you think you could to do something to get us free of this web?" I heard Zoro call out to me. Jeez, no pressure guys. I can do a million fucking things at once apparently.

"_Hsss,_" The spider spat tauntingly at me as it flashed its fangs again.

"Mamori! Just hurry up and kill it!" Nami called out her order from the background.

I finally snapped and lost my patience.

'_Mamori this, Mamori that. Would you all just shut up for one second! I don't need your backseat driving! It's bad enough I am now staring off with a spider the size of a car, I don't need all of you to tell me what to do!_' I snapped even though they couldn't hear me. '_If I can't kill this damn thing, the least I can do get the others free so they can deal with it._'

I needed to do this as quickly as I could; I knew that much for sure. I tilted my head to the side and whipped out my knife. I took three steps backwards as the spider took one forward. I then spun around on my heels and scurried straight for Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy.

I clenched my teeth, making sure to tighten my grip on my knife as I got it angled correctly. I ran awkwardly on three legs straight for the webs that were holding Zoro first. I didn't stop as I reached them, instead I lowered my head down low to the ground and as I reached the lines that were holding him I smoothly brought my head up quickly in one quickly motion.

I saw something flash in the air before me before the threads that were holding him on one side fell to the ground. I heard the spider crying from the background as I set it's prey free; charging at me as it made a ruckus.

I shared a look with Zoro, our plan taking less than a second to work itself out as I pivoted back around to face the oncoming spider. I saw Zoro reach down with his free arm and pull out his sword out of the corner of my eye.

"_HSSS,_" The spider spat at me as it charged straight for me. I dashed forward, running at it straight on as well.

It dove on me at the last second, slapping its incisors together as it attempted to bite me. I jumped up into the air as it leapt at the deck where I just was, it's head smacking straight into the decking. I flipped over in mid-air to gather up some more motion, noticing that Zoro had cut himself free of the spider's web now and was cutting the others out.

When I finished my flip in the air I dove back down, aiming my front left leg at the spiders head. I tucked my hind legs in against my stomach, getting ready to deliver a powerful kick.

As soon as I felt my left paw slap down on the spider's head I kicked out my back legs with as much force as I could muster. My body was jarred as my back two feet connected with the spiders head at the same time, the spider crying in pain from underneath me at its head was pushed further into the decking.

The spider's legs gave out from under it as it crashed to the deck. I tried to balance on it with my three legs as it settled before quickly pushing off and landing on the deck with a 'thump'. I took a few steps forward to balance my landing before slipping my knife back in its holster and glaring at the spider over my shoulder.

My tail swished angrily as growled softly at it seeing that it opened it eyes yet again. It wasn't down for the count yet.

I didn't have to do anything though as Luffy walked straight up the giant spider that still seemed taller than him even when it was lying on the ground. The spider pushed itself back to its eight legs as it clicked it fangs at Luffy. A saw Luffy's huge grin spread even further, sparkles in his eyes.

"Join my crew!" He chirped at it, still smiling childishly.

"IDIOT! THAT SPIDER WAS JUST TRYING TO EAT US!" Sanji yelled at him.

In response to Luffy's request the large spider just lifted up its front leg and threw it towards Luffy as a spear. Luffy tried to move out of the way in time and he did mostly but the spider's leg clipped Luffy's hat. His hat tipped to the side and fell of his head and slowly floated to the deck.

I saw Luffy twitch and suddenly his arm shot out and sucker punched the spider under its chin. He overdid it a bit, overestimating the spider's weight. The spider let out a cry as its feet left the deck and it went flying far away over the sea.

"YOU BASTARD! DON'T TOUCH MY HAT!" Luffy yelled after him, snorting angrily as he bent down and picked up his hat.

I blink owlishly as I watched him.

'_That... That outright bastard! He said I couldn't kill it and he goes and punches halfway around the world!_' I raged to myself, my tail flicking back and forth in an irritated manner.

Silence echoed awkwardly over the deck as Vivi, Usopp, Carue, and Nami finally crept out onto the deck, ducking the remaining spider webs.

"So… Who's up for breakfast?" Sanji asked suddenly to break the silence of the morning.


	24. Don't Leave Me

**Happy Easter guys! Hope you have a good one and get lots of chocolate!**

**Oh, and a lot of questions have been raised about Mamori and Chopper. Yes, guys. She will be able to talk to him. You'll just have to keep reading to see how that sorts itself out. She can't talk to other animals now because she wasn't trained to. Much like if you weren't talk the English language all you would be hearing is sounds when people talk. Hope this answer your question and thanks so much for all the reviews last time!**

* * *

><p>Once again, Nami was screaming her head off at our idiotic Captain; and, as usual, he didn't think anything of it.<p>

"WAIT JUST A SECOND!" Nami screamed, waltzing over to Luffy's side. All my efforts of calming her down before seemed to just go straight out the window. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

"On an adventure!" Luffy chirped, his grin widening even more. "Shishishi! Wanna come along?"

Nami just closed her eyes, head angling back as she cried. I think she just gave up. Hmm, what should I do? Go with Luffy? Or stay to watch the others? I don't really feel like getting eaten by dinosaurs, but I also don't want to send Luffy out_ there_ unsupervised. God knows none of the animals here could've done anything bad enough to warrant such a cruel punishment.

"Sanji! Prepare my lunchbox!" Luffy ordered, waving his arms around.

"Alright, just hang on a moment," Sanji sighed, walking into the kitchen.

"Could I come along with you?" Vivi suddenly asked, causing my head to spin around in her direction.

"Sure, sure!" Luffy agreed, still waving his arms around impatiently.

"EVEN YOU!" Nami screamed at her.

"Yes, just standing around here doing nothing is only going to end up making me think about my worries again," Vivi explained. "So I may as well try to clear my head until the Log Pose finishes recording! It'll be fine! Carue will be by my side after all!"

The duck's jaw dropped, a horrified expression crossing his face.

"Your trusty bodyguard looks too scared to even quack…" Nami commented as I let out a bark in agreement.

"Then allow me to make a lunchbox of love for you Vivi!" Sanji cooed as he stuck his head out of the kitchen.

"Could you also make another drink for Carue as well?" She asked him.

I decided then that I'd be better off waiting with the others. Luffy may be an idiot, and he just might get himself in trouble, but he should be fine. Maybe I was just being too hard on him; I needed to cut him some slack. I'd be better off watching Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro. Just in case someone or something tries to take or attack the boat. We need the boat to be in one piece if we want to make it out of here.

* * *

><p>"That Ms. Wednesday's got some guts," Usopp commented as we watch Vivi, Carue, and Luffy disappear into the jungle.<p>

"I guess it's expected of one who infiltrated Baroque Works," Nami sighed, hands on her hips.

"Well, since I'm not doing anything either, I'll go for a walk," Zoro suddenly said, cracking his neck. Oh! If Zoro is going for a walk by himself, maybe I should go with him. He'd get lost and never make it back to the boat otherwise.

"A WALK!" Usopp yelped as his jaw dropped.

"Yo Zoro, wait!" Sanji called out as he came out of the kitchen right at the time Zoro jumped overboard.

"Hmm?" He questioned, turning her head back to look at Sanji.

"We're running out of food on board so if you see any animals that look to edible, can you hunt it down and bring it back?" Sanji requested of him as I trotted up to the railing, bracing my fore paws on it as I got ready to jump over after Zoro.

"Sure thing, I'll go hunt some animals that you'd never be able to kill yourself," Zoro agreed. He didn't just say that… Did he?

"WAIT RIGHT THERE!" Sanji screamed at him.

"Huh?" Zoro grunted as a dark looked crossed over his face.

"Did I hear you wrong, or did you just imply that you could hunt a bigger game than I can…?" Sanji hissed, mirroring the dark look Zoro had on his face.

"Isn't that obvious?" Zoro snorted at Sanji.

Were they really going to do this? Now? Here? OVER SUCH A SMALL THING!

"THAT'S IT! I CHALLENGE YOU AT HUNTING!" Sanji yelled at him, stamping his foot down on the railing right next to my paws. I closed my eyes, sucking a deep breath in as I tried to control my urge to nip them both. Idiots! SIMPLISTIC IDIOTS!

Before I had much of a chance to blink both Zoro and Sanji had begun to walk off into the forest, snapping retorts at each other as they went. I was standing there blinking owlishly, how did they move that fast? And how did one simple request turn into such a drama?

I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts, getting ready to jump off the boat and go nip some sense into both of them. Just as my back feet left the ground I felt a great weight put on the back of my legs. It cause my two front paws to slip awkwardly off the railing, my head smacking into it as I fell back onto the decking.

**SMACK**

I groaned as everything seemed to spin, hitting my head was so not fun. I then snarled pissily, lifting up my head and turning it around to see both Nami and Usopp clinging to my back legs, tears running down their eyes.

"Not you too Mamori!" Nami sobbed at me.

"Don't leave us alone here!" Usopp cried along with her.

I flattened my ears back against my skull, feeling very guilty. I had almost left both of them on a boat by themselves in this place. That would have been a stupid thing to do, they're probably both scared out of their minds… I didn't even know if the giants or dinosaurs were friendly or not. Handy aren't I?

I let a huge sigh leave my chest, my sides heaving and falling as the air escaped. I then wiggled awkwardly up to a sitting position as they both let go, tilting my head to the side as I let a 'woof' slip out at them. I then reached forward, my tongue flicking out to the lick some of the tears off Nami's cheek first, then Usopp's.

I saw them both smile a bit as Usopp reached forward to shakily pat the top of my head, both of them seeming to get the idea that I was going to stay.

"Thank you Mamori!" Usopp said gratefully.

"Wait a second!" Nami said suddenly as she bit her lip.

"Hm?" Usopp questioned her at the same time I let out a small whine in confusion.

"I feel like I've read this in a book before…" She trailed off a bit, frowning. "I'm sure I've heard of it!"

"Heard of what?" Usopp said in confusion. Please, please, don't tell me she is talking about some sort of horror story… Honestly, horror is one genres of books that I don't like. They usually scared the crap outta me and the last thing I needed was Nami telling us some sort of 'ghost story'.

"Of Little Garden," She replied as she stood up. Usopp and I watched in confusion as she got up and walked away silently. I shared a confused look with Usopp.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes before Nami came sprinting back to us in panic. I quickly launched myself up to my feet, bolting over to meet her half way.

"WE'RE IN TROUBLE ON THIS ISLAND!" She yelled at us.

**CRACK**

The sound had all our heads spinning around to the shore. On the shore, in between the trees was a large shadowy figure. Like, FUCKING HUGE figure. As is in gigantic. Get the point? No, I don't think you do. Oh sure, you've all heard about giants, or watched the anime like me, but that was nothing. Being here standing in front of that thing scared the crap outta me. Have you ever driven up to a really large building or tower? Or ever stood at the base of a cliff and felt intimidated? Times that about ten because this thing was alive and moving and that's how I felt.

"AHHHHHH!" Usopp's cry filled the air.

"KYAAAAAA!" Nami's scream joined in with his and before I knew what I was doing I had put myself in front of the two. My ears were folded back completely flat against my skull; every hair on my tail was stuck up, making it look it a cactus. I let out a very feral snarl in warning although my legs were shaking slightly under me…

The giant took a few steps towards us, the ground shaking as he moved. He used his hands to push aside a tree like it made out of rubber, so his large form was fully in our view now. He had what looked like Viking helmet on his head and his shoulder span was huge!

"I'm asking if you have any rum?" His voice rumbled out causing my snarling to cut off in confusion. Rum? Why rum?

"W-We have…a l-little…." Usopp managed to strutter out between his shaking.

The giant leaned his face really close to the side of the ship, a huge smile cracking across his face, "Oh! So you have some!

"NUAHHHHH!" He suddenly screamed out so loudly that the boat shook and I heard Nami and Usopp screaming from behind me as well. I stumbled back a few steps with the boat's rocking, my snarling picking up once again, ready for an attack if there was one. Don't know what I would do about it though…

The giant merely turned his head around to look behind him and I followed his gaze only to see a giant dinosaur had bitten into his ass and was clinging there.

"A... D…" Usopp couldn't finish his sentences because he was shaking and sobbing so much.

"Dinosaur…?" Nami managed to finish off for him.

The giant swung around suddenly with an axe coming out of nowhere. He swung the axe and cut the dinosaurs head straight off its body…

"GYAHHHHHHHHH!" Both Nami and Usopp cried out behind me at the same time. I could still feel my legs shaking and that didn't help! At all! My legs were starting to feel numb; I wasn't sure how much longer they would hold me up.

"I AM ELBAF'S STRONGEST WARRIOR!" The giant roared out. "BROGY! GABABABABABA!"

I heard two thumps behind me causing my head to spin around to see Usopp and Nami sprawled over the deck in a dead faint. Fuck! Why now of all times! The least they could have done was hide before passing out! I saw Usopp twitch slightly though and I almost deadpanned, they were faking! Oh yeah! Just leave me to sort this out! Typical!

I turned back in time to see the giant facing us once one more.

"Good, I got some meat now! Let me welcome you as my guests!" He called out, frowning in confusion as he saw my two companions sprawled on the deck. His gaze then come to rest on me. Oh my God…

* * *

><p>"GABAABABABABA!" Brogy laughed as he threw a large hunk of meat down in front of us. "There, it's all cooked so eat up!"<p>

"W… We're not hungry," Nami quickly stated from the log her and Usopp were sitting on. Brogy was sitting opposite us, a huge smile on his face. I was sitting slightly in front of Nami and Usopp, my ears still flat against my skulls. How had we even managed to get into this situation? Oddly enough there were human skulls and bones scattered around the area.

Oh, yeah. Now I remember… He scooped us up while Nami and Usopp were playing dead and took us here. He got a few nasty bites from me before he managed to convince me that he wasn't going to hurt us so I stopped. That, and if I kept biting him he probably would have just dropped us all.

"No need to decline out of modesty! Eat as much as you want! Dinosaur meats especially delicious you know!" He roared. Had he ever heard of an inside voice?

"It's fine, we're not up for much of a meal," Both Nami and Usopp declined nervously at the same time. By now I had figured out that the giant was friendly enough. It didn't explain the skulls and I wasn't about to relax in front of him, but I wasn't about to attack him either. My shaking legs had stopped my now, only wariness and curiosity left.

I let my head drop as my stomach growled when the smell of the meat reached my nose. Damn dog smell and taste buds! How was a dog meant to resist such a good smell? I sighed again before standing up and waddling forward towards the meat. The hunk of meat was bigger than me! I sniffed the side of it warily before reaching forward and snagging a bit of it between my teeth. I then pulled back, the meat tearing off. I chewed and swallowed as my ears perked back up. It tasted great! Before I could stop myself I lifted my head up and let out a loud bark in giant's direction.

"GABABABA!" Brogy laugh with his whole chest shaking. "See the dog likes it!"

"Mamori!" I heard Nami hiss at me from the background. "Umm, Mr. Brogy… May I ask you one question?"

He took a huge bite of his own meat, chewing it a bit before replying, "Hm? What is it, girl?"

"H-How long does it t-take for the Log Pose to finish recording on this island..?" Nami spluttered.

"One full year," Was his shocking and blunt reply, causing Nami and Usopp to collapse from shock. "So take it easy while you are here! GABABABA!"

Surely there was some way to get off this island right? I wasn't worried. The series had to go on, we had to save Alabasta!

* * *

><p>"AGH!" Nami yelped, covering her eyes with her hands.<p>

"H-H-He used his helmet to cover himself!" Usopp yelled, clutching at his head. "W-What a fight! All of their attacks are aiming for each other's vital points to kill with one blow!"

"And they've been fighting like this for over 100 years!" Nami exclaimed.

We were watching the two giants battling, Brogy had quickly explained it to us before waddling away. Apparently, there was another giant here and these two had been battling it out for 100 years; and every time the volcano would erupt, it signaled the start of another fight. We were standing a fair distance away from the fight but we could still see every move they made because they were so big!

"But it's a good chance for us… This is our chance to escape!" Nami planned as she threw out her arms.

"Wow…" Usopp muttered as he completely ignored Nami, more interested in the fight going on. I was still standing next to Usopp as well, not quite ready to run yet. I'd never seen anything like this… Wonder if I could one of the giants to teach me a move or two?

"Usopp? Mamori?" Nami questioned us after getting no reply.

"Even without any reason they fight like this…" Usopp continued to mumbled to himself.

"God, what a nuisance they are…" Nami sighed.

"You fool!" Usopp exclaimed sharp as he crossed his arms over. "This is what a man's fight is!"

"What…?" Nami asked him.

"Let's say that there is a metaphorical flag raised in their heart and these flags are more important than their lives!" Usopp began to explain to us in his serious voice. "They don't want their flags to be broken no matter what! And so, to protect that flag, they continued to fight for over 100 years! Can't you see! This is a real battle of pride between two warriors!"

I let a grumble out of my chest in agreement to Usopp's speech, watching these two fight was not only amazing, but it was also beyond words.

"Well, I'm not interested in any of that stuff so I'm going to take off!" Nami said as she waved to us and turned around yet again. I sent her a nervous glance, a whine escaping my throat. I couldn't watch both of them at one time! Who was I meant to go with?

"I'm going to stay here a bit longer and watch!" Usopp replied with conviction. "This is it! This is what I meant by a brave warrior of the seas! I want to become a proud warrior just like them!"

"Hmph!" Nami huffed as she walked backward towards us and sat on a tree log. "So you want to be a giant huh?"

"DID YOU EVEN LISTEN TO ANYTHING I JUST SAID!" Usopp swung around to yell at her as I laughed silently. Good, they were staying together. "If there's an entire village full of warriors like them, I'd sure like to visit it one day!"

* * *

><p>"A brave warrior of the seas?" Brogy questioned. "What's that?"<p>

"It's someone like you! I want to become just like you two one day!" Usopp exclaimed, a lot more cheerful then before. We were all back at Borgy's little camp again after his battle ended.

"A giant?" He asked in shock.

"NOT THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEAN!" Usopp yelped yet again. "I want to live proudly and honorably. Just like the warriors of Elbaf!"

"GABABABA! I see!" Brogy laughed as he finally got what Usopp was saying. "We giants have much longer lifespans than you humans, and as such, we wish nothing more than an honorable death. After all, one's fortunes or life is bound to come to an end one day. To a warrior of Elbaf, to die without tarnishing one's pride is what we mean by an honorable death. Our pride alone never comes to an end. It's an eternal treasure that's passed on through the lands of Elbaf."

"So your pride is what you treasure!" Usopp figured out

**BANG**

**RUMBLE**

My head spun around to see the volcano going off yet again!

"GABABABA, the fight will begin soon, this is a good day," Brogy commented.

"You will fight again?" Usopp asked in worry. "What about your injury?"

"Don't be silly. We both got hurt last time!" Brogy waved off Usopp's concern. "Both of us risk our lives on these fights! We won't use any lame excuses to postpone this fight!"

"Go and get him Brogy!" Usopp encouraged him and I let out a bark to echo his thoughts, my tail thumping against the ground in encouragement.

"Sure!" Brogy agree as he cracked another huge smile. Did this guy ever frown? "I will crush him down this time! GABABABABA!"

"Why do they have to continue this stupid fight?" Nami said with a sigh as Brogy walked away.

"DON'T SAY THAT THIS FIGHT IS STUPID!" Usopp spun around to scream at her yet again. And here I thought it was normally Nami doing the yelling.

"Anyway, let's go back to our ship because it will take over a year to lock onto the frequency. We'd better wait for everyone and try to find the way out," Nami commented, not reacting to Usopp's yelling. I sighed quietly; as much as she was right I wanted to watch them fight again.

"Wait a minute!" Usopp objected. "I can't fight a dinosaur! So, there is no way that we can get out of this forest!"

"But didn't you say that you were the great Sea Warrior or something like that? And what about Mamori?" Nami said, causing my head to snap in her direction. I let out a disagreeable growl, my tail flicking in annoyance. I didn't think I could take on a dinosaur. Maybe, just maybe. But I didn't want to risk it and them if it wasn't absolutely necessary.

"I meant that my heart has become the Great Warrior! I wish to be a warrior who is proud of himself," Usopp informed Nami as he puffed up his chest. "And I don't think Mamori wants to take on any dinosaurs judging by her reaction. Plus, she is still partly injured."

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about my leg for a little while. The bandages were less annoying now that I had gotten used to the, and I could brace a weight on it now. But Usopp is right, I shouldn't aggravate it unless necessary.

"We have no choice left. Let's go to see Luffy at the other giant's house," Nami pointed out.

"Day one. Even if I have to lose everything or I have to face death alone on an isolated island, I will die with pride and my last words will be 'I am Usopp the Great Warrior of the Seven Seas!'" Usopp declared suddenly. "That's what I hope!"

Next thing I knew Nami was dragging Usopp along the ground by the back of his collar, leaving me sitting there blinking.

"Okay, I understand. Then, please become a Great Warrior soon, okay?" Nami asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Sure…" Usopp said unsurely.

"Come on Mamori, we're leaving," Nami called out to me. I got up, shaking my head with a smirk as trotted up to them, taking up position next to Nami as we walked.

* * *

><p>"EEEEEEK! DINOSAUR!" Nami screamed as she and Usopp bolted through the forest. "It's a DINOSAUR!"<p>

I heard their screaming voices trail away as I stared off with an odd looking dinosaur. It looked something like on odd turtle. It had a hard shell on its back, but nothing covering its stomach. The shell had large thorn like spikes lining the edges of its shell around its side with smaller bumps on its back. It had a long neck with a head something like a turtles, but with bigger eyes. It's tail was longer then a turtles, it looked more like snake's tail. It was also green like a turtle though. If I had to make a rough guess, I'd say it was about two meters high and six long. But that's just a rough guess.

"ROOOOOOOAR!" It screamed, opening up it mouth and giving me a good view of its teeth. Judging by the glance I got of its teeth, it was an omnivore. All of its teeth were flat, other than a few of it's front ones which were much sharper than the rest of it's teeth. That would mean it wouldn't do _that_ much damage if it bit me. Charming.

I quickly slipped my knife out of its sheath and charged at the animal. As soon as I started putting my weight on my sore leg while I ran, it started protesting, but it was ignorable for now. I wanted to avoid this…

"ROOOOOOAR!" It's cried again as it swung around so that its side was facing me, spikes flashing straight at me. I suddenly had an image of that damn lionfish flash through my head. Let's just hope this thing can't shoot its damn spikes!

I jumped when I got close to it, heading straight for its head. My fore paws touched down on the top its head, my back feet landing not long after that so that I was balanced atop his head. I angled my head so that I drove the hilt of my knife right in between its eyes.

I was rewarded with another roar of rage as it swung its head and threw me off. I grunted as I my paws touched down on the ground, pain flashing up my sore leg. Damn! A blow like that didn't work. Looks like I will just have to kill it after all.

I charged again and this time, instead of jumping, I drove under it. I started to bring my knife up to slash across its stomach, but I was cut short when one of its feet connected with my side. I felt the air leaving my lungs as I hit the ground from the blow.

The dinosaur then started to stomp around like an elephant trying to crush a mouse. I jumped up in time to dodge getting crushed beneath it, my knife flashing as I dove again. This time I hit my mark, my knife sinking into the chest of the dinosaur, right where its heart should be. I heard give a pain fill roar as its legs began to collapse out from under him. I yanked my knife out, bolting out from under it. I just managed to get out as I heard it collapse to the ground, dead.

I paused quietly as I watched it again, the scene with the lionfish flashing through my head. I snapped my eyes closed, bowing my head in a silent prayer to any God that might be listening. I'm so going to hell for all this.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

My praying was cut short as I heard a scream coming from up ahead. That sounded like Nami! No! What happened now?

Without another thought, I bolted forward, slipping my knife back into the sheath. I hope they were both okay!

My paws flew across the ground as I ran for where I had heard the scream coming from, my heart beating insanely fast in my chest.

I saw green and white out of the corner of my eyes and halted to a stop, skidding in the dirt. I spun around and saw Zoro leaning against a tree. Zoro! Maybe he could help me! I ran over to him, barking at him to let him know something was wrong. Although I'd have to assume that he heard Nami's scream. I stopped right in front of him, my head tilting to the side in confusion. He was flashing me an odd smirk, with a dark look on his face. Maybe he was still angry with Sanji…

I reeled back a few steps though when his scent hit me, the smell of wax overpowering my nose. I looked him with wide eyes, that wasn't Zoro! Before I could even move, he lunged at me….

* * *

><p>I let out a grunt as I was thrown to the ground, face planting into the ground next to Zoro and Nami. My legs were trapped in some odd kind of wax that insanely strong, not even my teeth could break through it!<p>

I scrambled up into a sitting position at the same time Nami and Zoro did, my eyes landing on some odd looking wax cake thing.

"Wha…" Nami mumbled. "What is that? Vivi aren't you supposed to be with Luffy?"

I turned my head around and sure enough, Vivi was here too with her own set of wax cuffs on. And Mr. Booger man was here too...

"That's right but-" Vivi began to explain but was cut off.

"Talking about that boy I've already killed?" Mr. Booger said, shrugging.

A growl went up in the air as I tried to lunge for the idiot who claimed to have killed Luffy. There was no way he could have! I only ended up stumbling because of my wax cuffs and face planting on the ground yet again.

"You did?" I heard Zoro asked, smirking in an odd way. "Ha..."

"WELCOME TO MY SERVICE SET!" Another man I hadn't notice before called out, throwing his arms wide. He looked stupid… His hair was shaped into a three on top of his head. One guess who he was...

Before long Vivi, Zoro, Nami, and myself found ourselves ankle deep in the wax cake thing, all of us standing there awkwardly. I was stuck in between Nami and Zoro. I tried to wiggle my paws but they wouldn't budge before I glanced around, seeing that Brogy was here too!

"I feel like a candle on a cake," Zoro commented as he crossed his arms over his chest. I let out a snort to let him know I felt the same way he did.

"There is something turning over our heads," Nami pointed out, and sure enough there was. It looked like some demented pumpkin carving. Halloween coming early this year or something? "I can't move my legs!"

"What kind of enemies would let us run around?" Zoro tch'ed.

"What is coming down here?" Vivi asked, causing me to look up. It was like wax snow flakes…

"How is the taste of my Candle Service! Hahahaha!" Mr. Wax taunted us. "The candle mist that falls from above will make you become a candle soon! You will be one of the best of my art work! Candles dolls that are filled with real souls! Just die for the sake of art!"

"NO WAY!" Nami screamed in panic. "WHY DO I HAVE TO DIE FOR YOUR WORK? MR. BROGY DO SOMETHING, DON'T STAY STILL! OTHERWISE YOU WILL BECOME A CANDLE TOO!"

"He's really huge indeed," Zoro commented laxly while I sent Nami a worried glance, letting a whine escape my throat.

"No matter what you say it's not going to work! He was so happy that he cried over that victory!" Mr. Wax sneered at us. "I don't know if he really cried because he is sensitive or if he cried for his friend. He has killed his best friend for hundreds of years with his own hands! He's really stupid, and he didn't realize that his friend was injured when they fought! Hahaha anyway, you can't change anything now!"

I answered the weirdo's speech with a snarl, my tongue flicking over my teeth in warning.

"I've known since we started to fight that Dorry kept some secret from me," Brogy ground out, a sad look over his face.

"You knew? Hahaha, you must be lying! If you knew, why did you fight him? I was you hit him with no mercy at all!" Mr. Wax mocked Brogy.

"You don't know the real meaning of this fight. How can you understand that was what my tears were for? A person like you won't understand! He fought with pride in his heart! How can I disgrace him?" Brogy hissed in anger. "YOU WANT ME TO DESTROY THE PRIDE OF THE WARRIOR WHO WAS PREPARED TO RISK HIS LIFE? I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND. BECAUSE OF THAT, I HAD TO FIGHT WITH HIM, WITH THESE HANDS. IT'S THE BEST THING AND THE MOST RIGHTEOUS THING THAT I CAN DO FOR MY BEST FRIEND DORRY!"

With that said Brogy slammed his fist on the ground and started trying to escape from the wax that kept him glued to the ground. I watch as the wax started to crumble and fall off when suddenly something exploded over him.

"BOMB!" I heard someone cry over the noise and me howling in rage.

"MR. BROGY!" Nami screamed as the smoke cleared and Brogy was left lying on the ground, passed out with burns all over him.

"This should stop his babbling!" Mr. Booger said as I turned my livid eyes onto him, snarling in rage. If only I could get out of this wax I'd tear that guy a new asshole and stuff his head up it! Brogy was already injured and grounded! That bomb was fucking totally uncalled for! I hated people that preyed in those that weren't in the position to defend themselves!

"HAHAHA! Stupid!" Ms. Umbrella Chick started laughing, up until that point I hadn't noticed her. Or the silent chick next to her that looked like a life size Dora the Explorer.

"Ha…" Mr. Booger grunted.

"I have underestimated that power of that crazy giant," Mr. Wax hissed in contempt. "I never thought that he could destroy my candle jacket. I must perfectly bind him!"

"DORU DORU ARTS: KEN*!" He cried as a giant wax sword sprouted off his arm and he swung it down at the Brogy, slamming the sword through his hand. "LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING NOW!"

'_BROGY!_' I screamed mentally in rage, my whole body twisting, turning and writhing as I tried to escape my wax trap. My sore leg screamed in protest but I continued to howl in rage, my whole body filling with anger at their actions. I was so close to seeing red that it wasn't funny, and there was nothing I could do! I was stuck and couldn't get out!

Mr. Wax then proceeded to stick his wax swords through Brogy's other hand and feet as well, pinning him to the ground.

"If you move, you will destroy your arms and your legs! HAHAHA!"

"ARRRRGH!" Brogy screamed in pain, the sound swimming in my ears as I continued to howl and snarl, in rage. Someone needs to get their asses kicked!

* * *

><p>*Wax-Wax Arts: Sword<p> 


	25. Waxy Situation

**Here is the next chapter guys, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"That's a very low thing to do!" Vivi screamed at Mr. Wax.<p>

"I will increase the speed of my Candle Service!" Mr. Wax cried suddenly, a large blob of wax coming out of his hand. "So you will become my candles sooner!"

I squeezed my eyes closed; ducking my head, I heard the spinning pumpkin on top of us spin faster, the flakes of wax seemed to come down faster. I felt a few warm pieces land on my thick fur, seeping in. It was so itchy and uncomfortable.

I heard Nami coughing next to me as she gasped, "I can't breathe!"

My eyes snapped back open, flicking in her direction in concern. Wasn't there any way we could get out of this? I wasn't just going to sit here watching myself and my friends turn into wax candles!

"If this candle mist goes into our lungs, we will become candles completely!" Vivi informed us.

"Hahahaha! That's right! If possible, I want you to suffer!" Mr. Wax laughed in maniacally. "Because the pieces of art that I want should represent suffering and fear! Just become my candles with fear in your hearts!"

By this time I had stopped struggling altogether, sending an evil glare in the direction of Mr. Wax.

"A piece of art! That's really disgusting!" Nami began to scream at him. "And you also did that to Mr. Brogy!"

"Hahaha, just say whatever you want!" Mr. Wax taunted us as I began to growl softly, trying to run through plans in my head. How could I get out? I couldn't! Not unless I knew some way to create fire, which I don't. I could try throwing my knife, but it would any take out one of them. And if Mr. Wax was made of wax, it wouldn't kill him. There was nothing I could do.

"Zoro! Mamori! Do something!" Nami begged of us causing my eyes to squeeze closed in shame. What could I do?

"Hahaha! Look at your faces!" Mr. Wax continued to taunt us as more wax covered us. I could feel it coating me slowly. My back was already partly covered by a layer of Wax. "That's very good emotions! Sadness and suffering! Torture! This will become my best piece of art! Hahahaha!"

"Don't we have a better plan!" Nami cried desperately, on the verge of becoming hysterical. "I can't move my arms!"

"Our bodies are becoming harder!" Vivi exclaimed as she stared at her hands.

No! I had to do something! I REFUSE to accept this! I'm not going to sit here and watch them die! I'm not going to wait for any of the others to show up, and I don't even know if they will! I HAVE to do something!

"Hey!" Zoro called to Brogy suddenly, causing me to jump slightly as my gaze swiveled in his direction. "Can you still move? If you can lose your arms and legs, it's better than dying and doing nothing. I will try to move too."

"I will cut both my legs off," Zoro devised, pulling out his sword as he did. "Don't you want to come and take care of those people with me?"

"Cut off your legs! Are you kidding! This is not a stupid joke!" Nami screamed at Zoro as I watched him silently. Cut off his legs to escape…?

"Because it's not some stupid joke, that's why I said that. What about you?" Zoro snorted, asking us.

"What about us? That's worthless! If you do that, they will be able to catch you anyway!" Vivi argued with him.

I was silently mulling over what he had said. A way to get out… No feet? _Fuck_. But I needed a way to get out. I wasn't going to leave this just up to Zoro, I wanted to help. But my feet… Did I really want to cut them right off!

'_To never live a day in my life that I will regret!'_ The words echoed hauntingly through my head, teasing me. I said that, didn't I? Yes, I did. And would I regret it if I didn't cut of my legs when Zoro did? Yes. Of course I would. But… I was scared. Really scared. What would I do without my feet? How painful would that be? I'm not a saint; I was scared, really scared. My mouth had gone dry. Hadn't I asked for a way out? I did. And I got one, and now I was too cowardly to do it…

"If you've never tried you'll never know," Zoro said. "Anyway, we are going to die. Why don't we try our best? I don't want to die because of those pieces of trash. Am I right?"

"Did you hear that? Is he really going to do it?" Mr. Booger muttered as he considered what Zoro had said.

"He's just boasting," Mr. Wax snorted although he didn't sound that sure of himself. "Who is crazy enough to do that?"

"GABABABA!" Brogy's voice suddenly rung out. "You are very brave young man. I was about to give up too. Okay, I will do it!"

"ARE YOU KIDDING? IS YOU LOSE BOTH OF YOUR LEGS, HOW CAN YOU FIGHT THEM!" Nami snapped, she wanted to be saved and now she was arguing. I was still debating what to do…

"Well," Zoro decided to point out. "With the hearts that never give up."

"What's wrong with them!" Mr. Wax suddenly cried, seeing that Zoro wasn't bluffing after all.

"Have they gone nuts!" Exclaimed Mr. Booger in shock.

It was now or never… What am I going to do!

"Wait a minute!" Vivi suddenly butted in. "I will fight with you too!"

"Vivi!" Nami yelped, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Okay," Zoro said simply.

'_NOW OR NEVER!_' My mental voice snapped at me. I felt myself snap, finally deciding what to do. My head snapped around and in one swift motion I swept up my knife in my mouth and faced forward yet again. A threatening growl rumbled in my chest as I stared at our adversaries. My tail, which had yet to go stiff with wax, swished back and forth angrily behind me as the loud growling sound continued to grow.

"Not you too Mamori!" Nami scream at me in despair.

"LET'S DO IT!" Brogy screamed as he began to pull at his pinned hands and feet.

Out of the side of my vision I saw Zoro starting to bring his two swords down towards his legs but my vision quickly narrowed down to my own predicament. Before I even had to time to think it over my head was driving down towards my leg in a sweeping motion, ready to cut my left leg.

"THIS IS CRAZY!" I heard Nami scream at us.

**BANG!**

At the same time I started to feel pain in my one leg, a loud sound caught my attention causing me to pause, my blue eyes flicking up. I felt my heart lurch in my chest as I saw Luffy, Usopp, and the duck break out of the bushes with a furious look on their faces.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" They cried as they charged forward.

A convulsing shiver went through my body and I looked down at my leg. I had sliced a nice cut through it, but it hadn't served any muscles or bones. They came just in time… Thank God. What was I thinking?

I looked up in time to see Luffy, Usopp, and the duck flying through the air because obviously they were running too fast they couldn't stop once they had broken out of the bushes.

"WE'VE COME TO CRUSH ALL OF YOU!" Luffy screamed at them as he went flying straight by, over to the other side of the clearing. They went flying so far that they crashed into some trees in the other side of the clearing, leaving everyone speechless for a few seconds.

"What's that…" Mr. Wax mumbled to himself in shock as they stared at where the others had crashed.

"LET'S TAKE OF THEM USOPP, DUCK!" Luffy chanted as he stood up, holding his hat on his head.

"AHA!" Cried Usopp as he also stood back to his feet.

"QUACK!" Chorused the duck.

"LUFFY! USOPP!" Nami yelped in obvious relief as Zoro and I stared silently on.

"CARUE!" Vivi added to Nami's cry.

"TEACHER BROGY! I WILL TAKE REVENGE FOR YOU!" Usopp called over to his 'teacher'.

"Usopp," Brogy stated in a state of obvious shock as well.

"JUST CRUSH THOSE GUYS TO THE GROUND AND KICK THEM OUT OF HERE!" Nami ordered Luffy and Usopp.

"Yes! I will take care of all of them because they have destroyed the pride of these giant's battle!" Luffy grunted as he cracked his fists.

"So, you are the man who's worth the most in East Blue?" Mr. Wax greeted him after he had finally recovered from his shock. "It seems the Marine's standards are going down."

"Look at his hair style, that looks really stupid!" Luffy pointed out in a goofy way.

"SHUT UP!" Snapped Mr. Wax.

"That's a number three on his head!" Luffy ignored him as he continued to point out how odd it was.

"JUST SHUT UP!" He snarled in reply to Luffy's comments.

"Luffy! First, can you destroy this pole before we all become candle dolls completely!" Nami called out to Luffy.

"Eh?" Luffy asked dumbly. "Are you in trouble too?"

"No, not really," Zoro said nonchalantly but my eyes were drawn to the blood pouring out of both of his legs and spreading across the wax. That was a lot of blood. A lot more than was leaking out of my one leg.

"There's a lot of blood coming out of your legs!" Nami pointed out to him.

"That's right," Zoro said with a shrug. "I cut off about half of my legs."

"AND YOU SAY THAT WE'RE NOT IN TROUBLE!" Nami yelled back at him. "And look at Mamori too!"

I looked back at my own leg, seeing that the blood was slowly seeping onto the ground. I then looked back up at Nami as flashed her a wolfish grin to let her know I was okay. It was my own stupid fault this happened anyway.

"Anyway, can you destroy that pole Luffy? I will take care of the rest," Zoro told him with a smirk. I let a growl out to echo his opinion, my tail still swishing as I stared down at Luffy. I wanted to _taste_ blood. My canine side was baying for blood, their blood. My teeth clenched around my knife as I finally got all antsy about getting out of here again, it was only a matter of time!

"Sure," Was Luffy's chipper reply as he flashed us a bright smile.

"I won't allow you to do that," Mr. Wax intervened before Luffy could do anything else.

"I don't know what that is, but I will destroy it," Luffy said as he clenched his fist. "Usopp?"

"Sure! Today, I'm not the same person I used to be!" Usopp called out as he jumped on the duck's back, his slingshot at the ready.

"Hurry up! Before we become candles!" Nami urged him, always the bossy one. I couldn't help but agree with her though. The sooner I get out the better; then I can tear them all a new asshole.

I saw Zoro move out of the corner of my eye causing me to turn my head in his direction. I tilted my head to the side in confusion at what I saw. Zoro had one hand on his hip, holding up his sword with the other like he was ordering a charge.

"What are you doing?" Nami sighed as she crossed her arms over.

"In case we become candles, I will have a nice pose," Zoro replied with a straight voice.

"This is not a time for playing," Vivi said with a frown on her face.

"Can you do something with your legs? I feel pain whenever I looked at them," Nami said and I could hear some concern in her voice.

"Then don't look," Zoro replied bluntly to her.

"By the way, your idea about cutting your legs to escape was so stupid," Nami pointed out to him before looking at me disapprovingly as well. I just folded my ears back against my skull with a guilty look.

"I cut my legs so that I could fight them, not escape," He pointed out.

"That's even crazier! And you got Mamori doing it to!" She snarled at him as her temper rose yet again.

"Shut up!" Zoro grunted. "And it was her decision to do that."

Hehe, he was right. It was. And you know what? It was stupid, but I don't regret it. Not at all.

"They're insulting us," Mr. Wax said darkly causing my attention to snap back to him. "That's very annoying because that kid doesn't look like a person who can fight."

"Mr. Three, we already killed him!" Mr. Booger man argued.

"Killed him?" Mr. Wax snorted as he got in a fighting stance. "Are you kidding? Look at him! It means that you suck! So, he can stand here in front of us! At least I know that he stronger then you. Why don't you just take care of the other scum? I will make that Luffy become one of my candle dolls!"

"I'm very annoyed by your babbling," Usopp hissed. "Don't worry, I will kill all of you."

And with that said, both him and the duck dove behind the cover of the trees.

"Luffy! I will help you from behind. Don't worry," Usopp called out.

"Quack!" The duck also called out.

"What did you say?" Luffy mumbled, turning his head around.

"Hey kid!" Brogy called to Zoro. "Are you going to quit trying?"

"There's someone else who's going to try for us," Zoro informed him whilst smirking.

"GOTCHA!" Mr. Wax cried as a blob of wax went flying at Luffy, locking around his ankles. "CANDLE LOCK!"

"He was caught!" Vivi cried in worry. I just silently watched on, having slipped my knife away seeing that I wouldn't get to use it any time soon after all. "Mr. Luffy!"

"What's this?" Luffy asked as he fell onto his back, legs in the air. "My legs look like a hammer!"

"What's that!" Usopp called from the background.

I felt something itching the back of my ears and the base of my tail as well as my chest. The wax was slowly spreading all over me… It wouldn't be long and I'd be covered. Damn.

"Hmm, it fits really well!" Luffy called out as he smirked dumbly.

"You really suck! Next will be your arms!" Mr. Wax called as he lunge towards Luffy, his wax shooting from his hand. "CANDLE LOCK!"

With a grunt Luffy managed to do some sort of awkward handstand to push himself off the ground to escape the attack. "OOH!"

One of Luffy's hands went up to clutch his shoulder as his other hand went flying towards a wax knife that was embedded into Grogy arms, stretching due to the Gomu Gomu fruit.

"Huh?" Mr. Wax mumbled dumbly

Luffy's arm wrapped around the hilt several times before clamping down into a proper hold, still in midair.

"I'm sorry Mr. Giant," Was the only thing Luffy said before starting to spin back around the hilt of the sword causing it to twist in the giant's hand as he grunted in pain, "GOMU GOMU NO…."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Zoro screamed angrily at him.

'_LUFFY!_' I mentally scolded him. How thick could he get!

"Huh?" Mr. Wax muttered dumbly as he adjusted his glasses.

"Mr. Luffy!" Vivi cried out.

"ARGH!" The giant groaned on pain.

"TONKACHI*!" Luffy cried as he flung his legs out to slam into the top of the wax cake we were stuck in. I flinched, ducking my head as I squeezed my eyes closed.

"What the!" Mr. Wax cried out.

"HE DESTROYED THE POLE!" Nami called out happily.

"EEEEEEEEK!" I heard Nami scream causing my head to shoot upwards as my eyes snapped open. Luffy had managed to kick the large poll out from under the rotating pumpkin, and now the large pumpkin was falling directly on top of us!

"Great! The hammer on my legs was destroyed too!" I heard Luffy call from his place clinging to the hilt of the sword. "Huh?"

**CRASH**

The large pumpkin thing smashed down right above our heads, a lot closer to us then it was before

"I'm still alive…" Nami panted in relief.

"Nothing changed at all," Zoro complained.

"That was close," Vivi exhaled at the same time I let a large sigh slip out of chest.

"That was dangerous, why didn't you run away?" Luffy asked us.

"HOW CAN WE MOVE?" Nami screeched at him.

My chest started to feel like it was being squeezed together as the wax hardened on it; my tail no long able to move either.

"Why didn't you tell me about that?" Luffy questioned us. "You just told me to destroy that pole."

When I get out of here I am so going to nip Luffy!

"ARE YOU SURE WE SHOULD TRUST HIM WITH OUR LIVES!" Vivi shrieked at Zoro in anger.

After a short pause of silence Zoro retorted, "We have no choice; besides, I can't move my arms anymore."

"Wait a minute! My body is getting harder!" Nami started to panic as she coughed once. "I can't move anymore!"

"Hahahaha! As the candle gets closer, the sooner you will become candles!" Mr. Wax goaded us. "You idiots! Just become my candles! Hahaha!"

"What?" Luffy yelped as his eyes bulged. "You will become candles? Why didn't you tell me!"

"Anyway, just destroy the candle Luffy!" Nami pleaded with Luffy.

"Okay!" He replied.

"I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO GET INVOLVED!" Mr. Wax cried as he charged Luffy again, a blob of wax flying out of his hand as it began to shape to shape itself. "DORU DORU ARTS: MORI*!"

"KAYAKU BOSHI*!" Usopp's voice rang out at the same time as he shot something from his sling shot straight at Mr. Wax. Mr. Booger suddenly jumped in front of him, swallowing the explosive bullet.

"Hmph," Mr. Wax grunted at him, his attack still flying at Luffy. The wax harpoon smashed straight through the hilt of the sword Luffy was on as Luffy jumped up into the air before skidding to a stop on the ground.

My eyes flicked back to Mr. Booger as his stomach suddenly doubled in size, smoke coming out of his mouth. He burped out a mouthful of smoke, saying, "Tastes bad, you must use the low quality gunpowder."

"He ate my bullet!" Usopp whispered as he gritted his teeth in frustration, the duck that was beside him had dropped its jaw.

"This is bad! This thing is really quick!" I heard Nami cried from beside me causing my attention to snap back to our own predicament. I couldn't move my neck anymore, the wax had sealed over it and hardened. I would be in a lot of trouble soon.

"I'm lucky to have such a nice pose," Zoro said as he looked vainly down at himself. A growl rumbled in my chest at the comment, was that really the most important thing right now!

"MORON!" Nami shrieked at Zoro and I'm guessing she would have hit him if she could move.

"MR. LUFFY, PLEASE HURRY UP!" Vivi yelled out to Luffy is desperation.

"Okay!" He said angling himself to face us. "I have to destroy that pumpkin right!"

He flung his hands behind him mumbling, "GOMU GOMU NO…"

"That's not going to work!" Mr. Wax hissed as he flung his blob of wax out.

"BAZOOKA!" Luffy finished off his cry, launching his fists at the pumpkin above us.

"CANDLE WALL!" Mr. Wax called at the same time and a huge wax blockade came springing up to block Luffy's attack before it could break the pumpkin.

"YOU! Would you stop getting involved!" Luffy retorted at him as he finally started to get annoyed.

"I'm the one who's supposed to say that," Mr. Wax grumbled as he squared off with Luffy again. "You'd better not get involved in my art process."

"CANDLE LOCK!" Mr. Wax cried as he flung another blob of wax towards Luffy, planning to trap him.

"AGAIN!" Luffy ground out as he threw himself back slightly.

"Ah! That's right!" Luffy said suddenly and stopped trying to dodge the attack causing my eyes to widen. Instead he pushed of the ground with one hand, letting the wax lock snap over only one of his arms.

"Haha! I got a hammer now!" Luffy called out as he smirked again. I think Luffy actually just showed some brains…

"GOMU GOMU NO," Luffy chanted as he threw back his arm with the wax on it.

"Damn it!" Mr Wax huffed as he brought up a shield of wax before himself. "CANDLE WALL!"

"TONKACHI!" Luffy cried as he flung his wax encased fist into the wax shield. I heard a slight crack before the shield shattered around Luffy's hand, his bare fist flying through the sucker punch Mr. Wax across the face and sent him flying across the clearing.

"MR. THREE!" Mr. Booger exclaimed in shock.

"This is crazy!" Ms. Umbrella Chick cried out from beside her partner.

"Great job Luffy!" Nami called out to Luffy and I echoed it with a yip. "Hurry and destroy this thing!"

"No," Luffy said simply, leaving me to blink. No?

"Stop fooling around!" Nami snapped at him. "Hurry up!"

"No," Luffy repeated.

"What?" Nami asked dumbfounded.

"Hey Luffy! This is not the time to play around!" Zoro snapped at him. Something was wrong with Luffy…

"Please Mr. Luffy!" Vivi begged him.

His eyes meet ours and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck pick up at how… Un-Luffy like they looked.

"What should I do? I don't feel like I want to help you," Luffy said in a somewhat confused manner.

"What are you talking about…" Nami mumbled breathless, her eyes as wide as mine at Luffy's behavior.

"Colors Trap," I heard a small feminine voice say quietly causing my eyes to flick towards miniature Dora the Explorer's way. I would have moved my head, but it was encased in wax.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME LUFFY! HURRY UP AND DESTROY THIS STUPID PUMPKIN!" Zoro snapped at him yet again but I kept my eyes on Ms. Dora. Maybe I was the only one that heard it with my dog hearing but she was doing something funny.

"I know," Luffy said.

"IF YOU KNOW THEN DO IT!" Nami cried out as well.

"I know," Luffy said with an oddly blank face. "But I don't want to do it."

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Nami shrieked loudly out him, spit flying from her mouth. "WE'VE ALMOST BECOME CANDLES! IT MEANS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DIE! DON'T YOU GET IT!"

"I understand, but I don't want to do it," Luffy stated and I could feel the others getting angry around me. My blue eyes were still glaring at Ms. Dora, a soft growling rising in my chest.

"THE PROBLEM IS NOT ABOUT IF YOU WANT TO DO IT OR NOT!" Nami raged in reply to Luffy's blankness.

**BANG**

My eyes flicked to the side to see Usopp and the duck dodging a bomb from Ms. Umbrella Chick and Mr. Booger. I watched silently as he jumped on the duck's back and took off running. Guilt ate away at me because I could nothing to help him this time. It was like last time I had taken my eyes off him at Arlong Park and he ended up almost getting killed by fishmen.

"Ms. Goldenweek!" Vivi suddenly called out snapping my attention back to the others. "It must be you!"

"Color Trap. Black is the color of betrayal," Ms. Dora said as she chewed on a rice ball. "If any person is painted with this color, he won't care about his friends' words."

"What does that mean? What happened?" Nami asked.

"She is a portrait painter. She can create feelings by her color," Vivi began to explain. She couldn't have told us this before, why? "The imagination of color that she has painted will effect a person's mind."

"Effect a person's mind?" Zoro grumbled as he groaned. "This is bad. Because hypnotism or something like that will completely effect an innocent person like him!"

"If he can step away from that sign he should be fine! Luffy!" Nami called trying to get Luffy's attention as she saw the black circle he was standing on. "Step away from that sign!"

"That's not going to work!" Vivi objected. "Mr. Luffy! Please don't step out of that sign! I beg you!"

"Why did you say that Vivi!" Nami gasped at her.

"I don't want to help you at all. I won't listen to you," Luffy said as he stepped back off the sign.

"So that's why…" Zoro mumbled from besides me.

"Eh? What happened to me!" Luffy yelped in a confused manner. "I will help you now!"

"But first, let me laugh. Hahahahahaha!" Luffy's mood suddenly swung around again.

"WHAT'S WRONG NOW!" The others all yelped as their jaws dropped. I was left closing my eyes and sighing softly to help myself calm down. It would be best for all of us to keep a calm head so that we can help Luffy.

"Hahahahaha!" Luffy continued to laugh.

"Colors Trap," Ms. Dora said and I opened my eyes to see her standing behind Luffy with a paint board and a paint brush in both her hands. Her rice ball was now held in her mouth. "Yellow is the color of fun. He can't move now."

"She put color on his shirt!" Nami yelped. "Luffy, take off your shirt!"

I watched as Luffy fell backwards, literally rolling on the floor laughing. I went to fold my ears back in worry but I found that they wouldn't move. Panic hitched in my chest as I realized that the wax had made it's way all the way up there and had hardened.

"This is bad, we don't have much time left," Zoro said, stating the obvious.

"QUACK!" The duck suddenly called.

"AHHH!" Came Usopp's voice as well as they broke through the shrubs again, Usopp riding on the ducks back. My eyes widened as they ran straight at Luffy, running straight over him and knocking him away. Then Mr. Booger and Ms. Umbrella Chick broke out of the bushes, hot on their heels.

"Damn it!" Mr. Booger snarled as he panted. "They are really fast!"

Oh my… That's what Usopp is good at after all. Looks like the duck takes after him too.

"Look!" Nami butted in. "Usopp and Carue hit Luffy and made the sign fade away!"

"Ouch," Luffy whimpered as he crouched on the ground. "I was caught in a trap again."

Luffy then spun around to face the mini Dora the Explorer, "Hey you! This is enough!"

"Yellow is the color of fun. You must have had a good time right?" She asked him.

"Shut up!" He replied. "Are you crazy or something? Anyway, I have to destroy that pumpkin!"

With that said Luffy flung back his arm and he ran towards us yet again. "GOMU GOMU NO!"

"Colors Trap," Ms. Dora said as she painted a sign in the air. "Red is the color of a target."

"BAZOOKA!" Luffy cried out, but before his arms swerved the wrong way and slammed into the ground.

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO HIT!" Nami screamed at Luffy.

"I can't let you destroy that thing or Mr. Three will be mad at me," She informed Luffy. "You will want to hit that sign just like a bull that always wants to hit a red target."

"I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" Luffy yelled as he got lined up for another attack. "GOMU GOMU NO...!"

"BAZOOKA!" Luffy cried out as he launched his attack, but yet again it just swerved and hit the target on the ground.

"Is that fun?" Mini Dora asked.

"This is bad… He can't beat her," Nami panted, almost completely covered in wax like the rest of us. "His power means nothing to her."

"I will mix this color for you!" Ms. Dora called out, mixing another paint sign in the air. "Yellow, the color of fun mixed with blue, the color of sadness."

"Colors Trap," She said as the sign hit Luffy in the back. "Green is the color of peace."

Next thing we knew, Luffy and Ms. Dora were sitting on a picnic rug, sharing a cup of tea.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!" The three around me yelled at him as I stared on in worry. Could Luffy beat this chick?

"What will be the result if this?" Nami sighed seeming to think the same thing I did.

"Result?" Zoro snorted. "I told you to pose nicely. I feel sorry for you."

"This is not funny!" Vivi snapped at him. I sighed, my eyes closing for a few minutes again. Everything but my muzzle and eyes had wax covering it. It would only be a few minutes before I turn into a wax statue.

I kept my eyes closed as I felt the wax creeping over my eyes and muzzle now. Sucking in a deep breath I silently prayed for Luffy and Usopp. I hoped they would be okay. I felt bad about how this had ended. I hadn't managed to do anything to help them! I was useless the whole time. And now Zoro, Nami, Vivi, and I were all going to die. I don't remember this happening in the anime.

The sounds slowly muffled around me as the final bits of the wax sealed over, stopping me from being able to breathe. It took me a few more seconds before I slowly let go of my consciousness, slipping into darkness. Some part of me noticed the muffled sounds from outside my cocoon, but it too was muffled to make out any words.

'_I'm sorry guys… I wish I could have helped. Sorry and thank you for everything… It was fun while it lasted, truly it was. I regret nothing,_' I mentally cooed as everything around me got darker and darker….

* * *

><p>*Gum Gum Hammer<p>

* Wax-Wax Art Harpoon

*Gunpowder Star


	26. Huge Goldfish

**PLEASE READ: My next update will be late. I shall not have access to a computer from an hour after I post this chapter to around about the 30th of April. So, I will upload my chapter when I get back or at the start of May. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I didn't want any of you to think that I had given up on this story. I promise you all that I shall be back. **

* * *

><p>Heat.<p>

It was hot._ Really_ hot.

Why was it so hot? Why was it so dark! Why couldn't I breathe...?

Suddenly I was snapped to attention as everything around me burned, my eyes snapping open. I was met by fire everywhere around me… What?

The others around me seemed to just be waking up as well; Nami and Vivi already launching themselves out of the fire with weapons at the ready.

I jumped after them, following them out of the fire as I heard both Nami and Vivi hit something. I landed next to Nami, my chest heaving from the quick, relieved breaths I was taking. God, it was good to be able to breathe again!

I quickly looked around and saw that Usopp was on the ground and Ms. Umbrella Chick was slumped over behind him.

"It's really hot. Didn't you have a better way to do it?" Nami chided Usopp. Ah, so Usopp got us out! Great!

"Stop complaining, you should thank me for saving your life," Usopp muttered as he stared at us.

"That's right, thanks!" Nami said as she held her staff in a battle ready position. The fire had burnt her top off so that she was now only in a short skirt and bra.

Vivi coughed from besides her, her pendulums spinning around on both her hands. Her shirt was burnt a bit, but not as bad as Nami's. "This is unbelievable, we're still alive!"

I let a loud bark out for Usopp, my tail wagging like a fan from happiness. I was so glad he had saved us! Looks like running isn't the only thing he's good at. Honestly though, most of fur was a bit singed at the ends and I think he had burnt my whiskers off! But altogether I wasn't in too bad shape. My leg was still sore again from my pulled muscles and it had a large cut through it, but it had stopped bleeding now.

"All the candles are melting," Mr. Booger's voice rang out causing all our heads to snap in his direction. He was holding out a gun in our direction as he talked, ready to fire at us. "You are some trouble makers. I can't lose anymore."

I tensed up my muscles, ready to spring into action but Usopp beat me.

"Take this!" He cried as he pulled back his sling shot. "KAYAKU BOSHI*!"

"Idiot!" Mr. Booger snapped as he stepped forward and caught the flying bullet in his mouth. "I have already shown you that gun powder can't do anything to me!"

"Did you eat that?" Usopp asked with a confident smirk on his face. I quickly slipped over to his side, trying to not put weight on my sore leg. I stood by his side, ready in case Mr. Booger tried to attack him.

Suddenly Mr. Booger got an odd look on his face like he was constipated.

"Sorry that I lied to you. That bullet is not made of gunpowder," Usopp explained as he slowly stood up. "It's a special kind of hot sauce that I made!"

"AGH!" Mr. Booger suddenly cried as he threw his head back, his hands wrapping around his throat. "Hot! Hot! HOT!"

"Hahaha!" Usopp laughed from besides me. "I knew how hot it was because I've tried that once!"

I don't think that is a good thing Usopp.

"You stupid pirates!" Mr. Booger cried out from his place kneeling over on the ground, still clutching at his throat. "I will explode myself along with you!"

With that said Mr. Booger launched himself at Usopp wrapping him arms around Usopp's shoulders and tackling him to the ground whilst crying, "You will be blown into tiny pieces!"

I needed to get Usopp away from him! Without another thought, I launched myself at the two whilst they were still falling in mid-air. I somewhat awkwardly latched onto the sleeve of Usopp's shirt, my body colliding with Mr. Booger. He let go and I managed to push him away slightly with my tackle, Usopp's shirt was still clutched between my teeth as we landed. Usopp and I landed on the ground as I let go out his shirt, stumbling to keep my balance. I quickly jumped back in front of Usopp to face off with Mr. Booger as he got to his feet again, his face murderous.

Suddenly a voice called from the fire, "Killing, evil…."

"YAKI ONI GIRI*!" Zoro cried as he came flying out of the fire, slashing at Mr. Booger and cutting him straight across his chest. Blood spurted from Mr. Booger's chest as he was engulfed with the flames from Zoro's swords. In slow motion he fell backwards as Zoro landed near us in a semi crouching position, the fire around his swords slowly extinguishing.

"Fire swords aren't that bad," He commented as put his swords away, back in their sheaths. A lot of his clothes were burnt in places, and there was blood still running from his legs.

Before I had a chance to flitter over to him and act like a mother hen again a large hand thumped on the ground as the giant began to push himself up.

"So? To be alive is the happiest ting in this world, right?" Zoro asked him.

"Gababa," Brogy laughed as he straightened himself into a sitting position. "You're right."

"Teacher…" Usopp mumbled as he stared at the giant.

"There are two more enemies?" Brogy asked us.

* * *

><p>"OHHHHHHHHHH!" Brogy cried out, tears streaming out of his eyes like jets of water. "OHHH! OHHHHHH!"<p>

His tears splashed around us all like torrential rain as the others all covered their ears. Me? Well, I didn't have hands. I just had my ears folded back against my skull, a grimace across my face. Everyone was back together now, all still alive thankfully. All the enemies had been taken care of as far as I knew.

"Even his crying is ear-splittingly energetic!" Nami gritted out.

"It's like looking at a waterfall!" Zoro pointed out, talking about the giant's tears.

"Hey! Look! You can see a rainbow behind him!" Luffy suddenly called out in awe.

"QUACK!" The duck quacked.

"My ears…" Vivi grimaced.

"I understand master!" Usopp sobbed out, tears streaming out of his eyes.

"UOHHHHHH!" Brogy continued to cry. "OHHHH!"

Suddenly the large giant that everyone had though dead sat up, clutching at his bleeding shoulder. Everyone's eyes bulged out of their heads as their jaws dropped. Mine included. When had he gotten here? He was here the whole time…?

"Seems I've passed out for a bit," Dorry grunted.

"Dorry!" Brogy exclaimed. "You're…?"

"Mr. Dorry!" Vivi called out thankfully.

"MISTER!" Luffy called out just as enthusiastically.

"It's most likely because of our weapons…." Dorry huffed out, hunching over slightly.

"The weapons!" Usopp questioned as he tried to dry his eyes. "Ah! That's right! Even Elbaf's weapons couldn't withstand all the stress of a duel that's been going on for a hundred years!"

"Unbelievable!" Luffy called out.

"GABABABA!" Brogy laughed as I watched on silently; glad to see that everything had worked out.

"It's a miracle!" Usopp exclaimed once he had finally stopped crying.

Brogy reached over and threw his arm around his friend, pulling him in for an enthusiastic hug. "Thank God you've survived, my dearest friend! Gababababa!"

"Don't hug me so much Brogy, you're hurting my wounds…" Dorry grunted out, although in a friendly way. "Gegyagyagya."

"A miracle? It's only expected… If anything, it's a miracle those weapons still look like weapons after 100 years of constant usage," Zoro pointed out. "No to mention the wielders themselves still wanting to fight after so long…"

"WHAT A SPLENDID DAY THIS IS!" Brogy cried out suddenly causing another grimace to cross my face. "LET US THANK THE GOD OF ELBAF!"

"Ha, are you that happy about finally landing a blow on me and making me pass out?" Dorry teased his friend.

"You know that's not the reason you big old fool!" Brogy cried out as he reached out to smack Dorry over the back of the head.

"OW!" He yelped. "Don't touch my wound. Gegyagyagya."

"Haha," I heard Nami laughing breathlessly along with the giants.

I jumped slightly, my head shooting up as suddenly the two giants were standing up and squaring off with each other.

"You wanna fight!" Snarled Brogy as he glared at his friend.

"I will knock you down this time!" Dorry yelled in reply as his clenched his fists.

"Hey! Why are you fighting again!" Nami screamed at them in anger as Luffy pissed himself laughing next to her. I sighed quietly, my tail giving a soft wag. I needed a nap, I was exhausted. Seems almost dying is more tiring than one might think.

* * *

><p>"We want to thank you for saving our lives," Brogy told us. We were all sitting around now, Dorry with his wounds patched up. I was curled into a ball, my head tucked against my side. My back was pressed against the stone Zoro was sitting on. I could still see everyone from my position as they continued to talk. Where was Sanji? I haven't seen him this whole time….<p>

"Gegyagyagya. We've completely forgot that we're still wanted by the government," Dorry laughed as his back rested up against a huge stone.

"Because of me, those people are coming to this island…" Vivi sighed, lowering her head. Nami strolled over to her, grabbing her cheek and pinching it. "Ouch!"

"Stop speaking nonsense," Nami scolded her.

"That's right Vivi. Why are you worrying about that?" Luffy asked her, resting on his side as he chewed a rice ball. Usopp and the duck sat behind him, also eating the rice balls. "Here, do you want some rice balls?"

"Where did you get that from…?" Nami hesitantly asked as she sweat dropped. I silently laughed to myself at how carefree these guys were acting already. We had almost been killed and now they are lazing around laughing. They're all insane. Me included I dare say.

"Let's have a rice ball party!" Luffy suddenly called out.

The others started to talk amongst themselves as I zoned out again. Where was Sanji? Should we be looking for him? What if he was hurt and lost somewhere? But how would I find him… I have no idea where he is on this huge island. It's not like I caught his scent anywhere either. Why hadn't the other noticed? How could I tell them…

"But we need one year to lock onto the frequency. That's no kidding," Zoro suddenly pointed out from besides me, causing me to grudgingly switch my attention back them. Maybe Sanji was already back at the boat.

"That's right, it's no joke at all," Nami agreed with him.

"Can't you do anything mister?" Luffy asked as he stood up and pointed at Dorry.

"Don't be silly. This is the only thing we can't control," Dorry answered him with a wave of his giant hands.

"WOW!" A loud voice suddenly called casing my head to snap up as Sanji ran into the clearing. "NAMI! VIVI! I'm so glad you are safe!"

That idiot looked completely fine! Why the hell had I been worrying about him!

"Hey! Sanji!" Luffy called out with a wave.

"He didn't do anything!" Usopp snarled. "How dare he come out!"

Sanji suddenly stopped dead, his eyes bulging as he looked at Dorry. "What's this! Are you Mr. Three!"

"How do you know about Mr. Three?" Nami questioned him.

Sanji turned around to answer her but his eyes turned into heart as he gaped at Nami's current coverings. "Nami! You're so sexy!"

Idiot, truly an idiot. With a sigh I dropped my head back against my side, curling into the ball even tighter. I sighed once more, my shoulders slowly relaxing. I was glad to see that everyone was okay after all. Geez, can these guys not go somewhere without causing any trouble?

* * *

><p>"So… You were talking to Mr. Zero!" Vivi concluded after hearing Sanji's story.<p>

"Yes, he thought I was Mr. Three," Sanji admitted.

"So… He believes that all of us are dead!" Vivi asked Sanji, leaning forward excitedly.

"That's what I told him," Sanji replied.

"Even though no one is trying to kill us, we still can't get off this island!" Usopp exclaimed in despair.

"Can't get out, what do you mean?" Sanji asked causing my head to lift up as he pulled something out of his pocket. "You have some business in this place? I just got this thing."

Everyone's jaw, including mine, dropped when we saw what he held in his hands. It was an Eternal Pose to Alabasta!

"Eh?" He said blinking as he saw our reactions. "What's wrong?"

"The Eternal Pose to Alabasta!" Usopp cried out as he jumped up.

"Great!" Nami joined in with his cry.

"Let's have a rice ball party!" Luffy added.

Vivi ran over and threw herself at Sanji, hugging him, "Thank you so much Sanji! I thought we couldn't get out!"

"Yo… You're welcome!" Sanji cried happily. "I didn't know that you would be so happy!"

"Finally we can get out here!" Luffy pointed out causing me to sigh yet again. That we could, but I didn't want to move. Blah. I slowly heaved myself back up to my feet, shaking out my slightly burnt fur.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here," Nami added.

"By the way…" Sanji suddenly added darkly as he pointed his thumb at Zoro. "Have you forgotten about our hunting competition?"

I twitched in annoyance, anger crossing my face at the mention of that fucking competition between them. That was the start of our problems and I hadn't got to nip them yet! They had just dumped me at the boat with Usopp and Nami!

"I will win for sure," Zoro snorted as he held out his arms. "I caught a very huge rhinoceros!"

I stalked forward angrily, making a beeline straight to Zoro since he started this damn thing. I lunged forward when I got near him, snapping my jaws in a warning nip on the side of his thigh.

"Hey!" Zoro yelped as he stepped back whilst glaring at me. "What the hell?"

Sanji snorted from beside him in amusement. Oh he finds this funny does he? Did he really forget what had happened last time? Well he will be next!

Before he had time to consider that I might bite him too, I had already nipped him in the same place I got Zoro.

"Oi!" He yelped as well as he cut off his laughter.

Now both of them men were looking at me angrily and I met their stares with a dark glare of my own. '_I am in a really bad mood,_' I purred mentally. '_Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me!_'

Before Sanji or Zoro could do anything we were interrupted by Luffy, "Then it's time to say goodbye! I wish both of you luck!"

"Oh! You must be in a hurry!" Brogy pointed out, smiling once again like when we first meet him.

"That's too bad, but we won't stop you," Dorry sighed. "I hope that you can save your country."

"Thank you," Vivi replied whilst smiling back at him.

* * *

><p>"Look! My lizard is clearly bigger!" Sanji snarled as he shoved his face right in front of Zoro's.<p>

'_I… I will NOT bite them,_' I mentally growled as I held my anger back on the verge. My tail was swishing back and forth behind me like a whip as I closed my eyes in anger. '_I shall not bite them._'

"Are your eyes just for show or something?" Zoro grunted in reply. "The bigger animal is my rhino."

Everyone was back at the ship now, Vivi and Usopp were conversing from their place at the bow of the ship. Luffy was leaning against the railing watching Zoro and Sanji who were standing atop two separate dinosaurs and arguing whose was bigger. Nami stood just outside of the main cabin and I was sitting next to her.

"Who cares," Luffy said to them. "They both look pretty tasty to me."

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Zoro and Sanji snapped at the same time.

"How long are you two going to bicker?" Nami sighed as she asked them much more calmly than I would have. "We can't even carry that much meat. Just pack up as much as we need and let's go already. It's time to set sail!"

"As you wish Nami!" Sanji cooed and waved to her.

"Hey, Usopp. Mine's clearly bigger, right?" Zoro asked Usopp whilst pointing to his dinosaur.

'_Must not bite… Must resist…_' My face muscles twitched as I kept my eyes closed, concentrating on breathing.

"Huh? I couldn't care less," He replied to Zoro.

"Is a tie no good?" Vivi asked curiously.

"There's no tie in a contest!" Zoro snapped in reply to her questioning.

'_Resist… Resist… Resistresistresist_,' I mentally chanted to myself.

* * *

><p>Sanji and Zoro had managed to stop arguing before I bit them both and we were now sailing back out of the river so we could reach open sea again. Most us were on the front deck to watch as we went. I was sitting by Vivi's side whilst I calmed down over Zoro and Sanji being idiots. Nami and Carue were by the mast and Usopp was outside the main cabin.<p>

"Do you think we should have packed some more of that meat?" Luffy asked us.

"Don't be stupid. We don't even have enough space to preserve any more than this," Sanji pointed out to him.

"Are you trying to sink our ship?" Nami snarled.

"Ah! It's the giants!" Luffy suddenly called as he pointed forward. "They've come to see us off!"

Sure enough they were standing opposite end of the river opening, their backs to us as they faced the sea.

"The most important reason why all the little ones who come to this island," Brogy started to say as his cloak flapped in the wind.

"Do not reach the next island that lies straight ahead," Dorry added to his friend's sentence.

"What?" Nami asked in confusion at their sentence that made no sense.

"You all risked your lives so that our pride can remain untarnished," Dorry continued.

"Thus, in turn, no matter the foe…" Brogy called out us as we sailed up to them.

"We must not let your flag of pride be tarnished either!" Dorry cried out with conviction.

"Trust in us and sail straight ahead!" Brogy raised his voice as he gave us instructions. "No matter what happens, sail only straight ahead!"

"What're they..." Zoro mumbled.

"Got it!" Luffy called out to them. "Sail straight ahead!"

"Farewell," Usopp called out as we sailed past them and into the open sea.

"Let us meet again," Dorry told us as he held up his sword.

"One day in the future," Brogy finished for his friend, raising his own axe.

"LOOK! UP AHEAD!" Nami suddenly cried out causing all our attention to be taken of the giants and to our path ahead.

A large fin popped out of the water, a seemingly endless face coming up out of the waves. The eyes of the animal were bigger than the ship! Slowly its head fully rose out of the water revealing that it was a large goldfish-like creature.

"What is that thing!" Zoro called out.

"Is it a Sea King!" Sanji joined in his cry.

"GRAB THE HELM OR WE'RE GOING TO BE SWALLOWED ALIVE!" I heard Nami cry from behind us.

"What in the world… Is that a giant Goldfish!" Usopp stuttered. "Huh? Giant goldfish? I feel like I've heard that before…"

I stayed silent on the front deck as I stared in awe at the giant fish. The giants said to go straight… Right?

"Usopp!" Nami snapped at him. "Hurry!"

"I won't!" He replied. "We'll be going straight ahead! R-Right Luffy?"

"Yep," Luffy replied calmly. "You bet."

The giant fished opened up is mouth, ready to swallow the ship as we sailed straight at it. Luffy wasn't worried and I trusted the giants. I've learnt over time it's best to calm in these sorts of situations. At least when I'm with these guys anyway.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Nami snapped at Luffy. "This is completely different then getting swallowed by Laboon!"

"Yeah, yeah," Luffy waved off her worry. "Just pipe down already. Here, I'll even give you the last rice ball!"

"I don't need any rice balls! If we don't turn this ship around this instant we'll-" Nami started to shriek at him before she was cut off.

"Nami," Zoro's voice came from behind us near Nami. When had he moved? "Give it up already."

"Luffy! You sure those giants are trustworthy, right?" Sanji yelled out to Luffy as everyone else started to scatter around to get ready.

"Yup," Was Luffy simplistic reply as he nodded his head.

"Are you serious! We're really going to sail straight into that monster!" Vivi joined in with Nami's shrieking. Jeez, my ears were starting to hurt. They needed to chill.

I frowned and reached over to prod Vivi in the side of her leg with nose. She looked down at me, eyes wide. I sent her a look before shaking my head to try and get her to realize that freaking out would do nothing. Luffy had made up his mind.

"OH NO!" Nami cried out. "IT'S TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING NOW!"

"KYAAAA!" Nami screamed as the fish began to close its mouth and everything went dark.

"STRAIGHT AHEAD! STRAIGHT AHEAD!" Usopp chanted to himself in the dark.

"What're you screaming for! We've already been swallowed alive!" I heard Nami snap at him.

I silently watched straight ahead of the ship, mentally wishing for something to happen soon. I'd start freaking out with the others if something didn't happen soon.

"HAKOKU*!" Two really large voices called out as light suddenly exploded before all our eyes. I felt myself get thrown back to the decking as the ship was throw forward and out of a big hole that had been put in the fish.

"WOOOHOOO!" I heard Luffy's excited voice call out from the front. "WE'RE FLYING! DON'T TURN BACK NOW! FLY STRAIGHT AHEAD!"

I tried to scramble back to my feet as the wind rushed over us, my eyes squeezed closed from the rushing air currents. I could feel the ship flying under my paws as I finally straightened myself out. Gently I peeled my eyes open to see a wonderful view of blue ahead us. The sky and the sea mixed together on the horizon as the air rushed over my fur, ruffling it and my bandana. I stared on breathlessly at the beauty of such a terrifying thing.

"They cut… The ocean itself…" Usopp sobbed over the sound of the wind. "So this is… The power of Elbaf's warriors…! Absolutely stunning!"

I grunted as the boat slammed back down the water, my sore leg jolted roughly.

"NOW GO!" Two loud giant voices roared from behind us.

I felt my chest flutter from excitement at the adventure ahead of us and the adrenaline that was flowing through my veins. Those two giants helped out a heap, without them we wouldn't have gotten off that island.

I took a large breath in as I tilted my muzzle up to the sky, blue swimming in my vision once more. I gently closed my eyes as I slowly let a sound build up in my chest.

"ARROOOOOOOOOOO!" I howled back to our new friends in farewell; may we meet them again the future.

* * *

><p>"EVERYONE!" I heard Vivi's voice call out in panic. "IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"<p>

I lifted my head up in confusion as my brain slowly started up again. I had been napping before Vivi had screamed but the worry in her voice had me clambering to my feet and running towards the sound.

"NAMI'S COLLAPSED WITH AN EXTREMELY HIGH FEVER!"

* * *

><p>"Iz Nabi gunna die!" Sanji sobbed as he chewed his handkerchief. "Well! Iz she Bibi?"<p>

"It must be from the climate change…" Vivi mumbled from her place kneeling next to the bed Nami was tucked away in. "The one obstacle that all sailors who enter the Grand Line will crash into sooner or later is sickness caused by the abnormal climate! No matter how famous or strong of a pirate you are, helplessly dying at the hands of such illnesses is a common occurrence here in Grand Line."

A soft whine made its way out of my throat as I rested my head against the bed Nami was laying on. My body was sitting on the ground as I rested my head, my ears pressed flat back against my skull in worry. Behind Vivi and I stood Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp. Luffy was abnormally quiet, not that I could blame him. The duck, Carue, was sitting on a mat behind them.

"Even the slightest symptoms can lead to death if ignored," Vivi explained to us quietly as Nami panted for breath in her sleep. "Isn't there anyone on the ship with medical knowledge?"

"Oh I'm sure she'll get better if she just eats some meat!" Luffy declared as he turned his attention to Sanji. "Right, Sanji!"

"Well, I obviously plan on giving her nutritious meals that are easy enough to digest even for a sick person but…" Sanji said sadly. "Even all that only goes so far as to be called 'nursing'… It may not actually cure her. And in the first place, when it comes to preparing meals for Nami and Vivi, I put 100 times more effort then for the rest of you lot. I only use the freshest meats and vegetables to cook a perfectly balanced meal for them. The leftover scraps and ingredients on the verge of spoiling are then given to you…"

"What!" Usopp yelped.

"Even so, it still tastes great! Ahahaha!" Luffy laughed at Usopp's worry.

"In any case, as long as I'm the chef on this ship, there won't be any troubles related to malnutrition or such. So if someone is still sick, then that's because of a completely different illness. And unless I know what that is, I won't know what type of meal to prepare that would be best either," Sanji pointed out.

"Couldn't you just eat everything instead?" Luffy asked him dumbly.

"Not having enough energy to even eat is what we call being sick in the first place you idiot," Sanji deadpanned at his captains idiocy.

"F-Forty degrees!" Vivi yelped from besides me as she looked at the thermometer. "Her fever rose again!"

Another whine made its way out of my throat as I sat there listlessly watching her chest rise and fall.

"There should be doctors in Alabasta right?" Usopp asked her. "Just how much longer until we get there, Vivi?"

"I… Don't know," Vivi said weakly. "But it'll definitely be more than a week!"

"Is being sick really that painful?" Luffy suddenly asked causing my head to lift up and look in his direction in confusion. He didn't know what being sick was like?

"Dunno, can't say I've ever been sick myself," Both Sanji and Usopp admitted at the same time.

"ARE YOU PEOPLE EVEN HUMAN!" Vivi yelled at them, echoing my thoughts very well. Hell, I'd been sick before. It sucks. I felt really sorry for Nami; she didn't look well at all. I hated seeing people sick because it was one of those times I just couldn't do anything to help them. "Of course it's painful! A 40 degree fever almost never happens! In fact, it's enough to even put her life at serious risk!"

"GYAAA!" Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji all screamed at the same time, seeming to only just get how serious this was. I growled softly at them, they need to shut up! They were disturbing Nami.

"WILL SHE DIE!" Luffy demanded to know.

"PREEZ DUN' DIE DABI!" Sanji sobbed loudly.

"AAHHHH!" Usopp screamed as he clutched his head and ran around.

"STOP MAKING A FUSS AND SHUT UP!" Vivi snapped at them.

"WE HAVE TO GO FIND A DOCTOR AND SAVE NAMI RIGHT AWAY!" Luffy yelled out.

"Yes, I know!" Vivi snapped as she held out her hand at Luffy in a 'stop' position. "So just calm down or you might aggravate her condition further!"

"No…" Nami's voice came out softly causing my head to snap back to her.

"Hm! Nami!" Vivi yelped as Nami sat up in bed. I whined and paced nervously back and forth next to the side of the bed as I watched her carefully.

"YIPEE! SHE GOT BETTER!" Luffy celebrated.

"NO SHE DIDN'T!" Usopp snapped as he smacked Luffy over the back of the head.

"There's a newspaper. On top of my desk…" Nami said weekly as she wheezed.

Vivi got up and walked over to the other side of the room, pulling a newspaper out of the desk draw. After a few moments silence Vivi gasped loudly causing me to look at her in worry but I stayed by Nami's side.

"What is it!" Luffy called over to her.

"Is it about Alabasta Vivi?" Sanji questioned her.

"That can't be…" She said breathlessly. "300,000 soldiers of the royal armed forces switched sides to join the rebels! Originally, the 600,000 strong royal armed forces could contain the rebels who were only 400,000 strong… But now the situation is completely opposite!"

Shit, seemed like things were going downhill fast in Alabasta.

"With that, the situation in Alabasta has entered its most critical phase…" Nami pointed out softly. "And that was the paper from three days ago. Sorry for not showing it to you until now… I didn't want to worry you any further since we were already sailing as fast as we could. Understand Luffy?"

"Sound like an emergency," Luffy said.

"That's right. I'm surprised I managed to get through to you so well," With that said Nami pushed back the blankets and began to stand up, ignoring my warning growl of worry.

"But if we don't get you to a doctor soon…" Usopp trailed off.

"It's fine," She said as she straightened herself. I was half tempted to push her back onto the bed and pin her there, but I didn't want to hurt her. "That old thermometer is broken anyway. There's no way a person would have a fever of 40 degrees. I'm sure that I just caught heatstroke or something. I'll get better just fine on my own even without seeing a doctor."

She started walking towards the door, leaving everyone staring after her expect me. I was trotting nervously by her side, watching her in worry. I was watching for the slightest sign that she might collapse again.

"In any case, we'll continue to head for Alabasta as planned for now," Nami called back over her shoulder. "But thanks for worrying about me."

And with that said she walked out, closing the door behind her as I slipped quickly out as well. I looked up as I noticed Zoro sitting on the railing. Was he navigating…? Who the fuck left him in charge of that?

Nami quickly got into an argument with him over that as I watched on silently, more worried about Nami's condition than what she was arguing about.

"Clouds can move and change shape you know!" Nami retorted at him before groaning and clutching her head in her hands. "Uhh, my head hurts…"

I whined in worry and nudged my head against her leg to try and convince her to go back in lay down.

"That's why I told you to go get some rest while I take care of things," Zoro tch'ed at her.

"How can I when you can't even take care of the directions!" Nami snapped in reply before pain flittered over her face. "The atmosphere… Changed..."

"Huh?" Zoro grunted as I lift my nose up to smell the wind. The scent of salt water almost drowned out any other smells but for some reason the air almost smelt damp. The sky was clear other than a few clouds, but the air still smelt somewhat damp. Odd. "The weather's been clear all day."

"Just call everyone here, will you?" She requested with a sigh.

"HEY! All of you! We've got some work to do, come out!" Zoro shouted as he leant over the railing. The others all came running out from the door below us looking around to see what was going on. "Take the helm and steer for south."

"What? I don't feel like taking orders from you," Sanji snorted at Zoro's order. I felt my lip twitch in anger but I quickly shoved my irritation back down. They'd better not start crap now.

"Just shut up and do it!" Zoro snapped back. "Lower the sails so we can catch wind from the portside."

"Got it!" Usopp replied as they all ran off to do their different jobs.

Nami walked over to the side of the boat, looking over at the seas with me shadowing her every step.

"What is it, Nami?" Sanji called out to her from the lower deck. "The seas are calm and the weather looks clear to me."

"Wind," Nami replied somewhat lucidly. "I have a feeling… That there's going to be strong wind coming from ahead… Probably."

Suddenly Luffy appeared next to us as he reached over and put his hand on Nami's forehead.

"Huh?" Nami mumbled.

"Hhhhoooot! Hot! Hot!" Luffy yelped as he pulled back his hand and clutched it like it had been burnt. "We really need to land and take you to a doctor!"

"That's just my normal temperature!" Nami argued with him. "Now stop wasting time and get the ropes!"

"Nami," Sanji called out again. "I know this is for Vivi's sake and all, but you really shouldn't be pushing yourself too much…"

"I TOLD YOU I'M FINE!" Nami shrieked at him and I whined in worry again. If she got herself worked up it would only make her sicker.

"Nami! I think you oughta-" Usopp started to say as well but was cut off by Nami.

"Just be quiet and turn the ship around already!"

I sighed softly seeing that she was getting too worked up, so I reached up and snagged the bottom of her shorts in my teeth. Giving it a soft tug I got her attention causing her to look down at me. Her face was flushed red and her breath was coming out in short gasps. Her eyes were slightly unfocused and looked clouded.

I gave another tug, pulling her back from the front railing that looked over the lower deck. She didn't even bother resisting; I don't think she had the energy.

"Mamori…" She mumbled. I just gave one more tug before letting go and taking a few steps forward. She watched me tiredly and I jerked my head in the direction of the side railing. She grudgingly took a few steps forward before slumping against the railing when she was out of the site of the others. She let out a large sigh, tilting back her head to look over the sea.

Seeing that she was resting as much as I could get her to right now without a fight, I relaxed a little bit. I sat by her feet silently, watching her from the corner of my eye.

* * *

><p>*Gunpowder Star<p>

*Burning Demon Slash (also a pun on "grilled rice ball")

*Warrior Nation

Note: 40 degrees celsius is the equivalent of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The human body can withstand a temperature up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Any higher and there is a high risk of brain damage.


	27. Evil Bunnies

**I'm back! :) I come with some good news and bad news.**

**Bad news first, I will be going away for a while again soon. Next week I'll be going away due to medical reasons. I have bad knees in real life and I need to go have a 'Lateral Patellar Release' done. So, if any of you have had something like that done because its apparently quiet common or know anyone who had it done I'd love to hear from you! If all goes to plan I shall be back on Sunday, so the update next week will be late again. Sorry!**

**Good news, it's almost time for Mamori to meet Chopper! I can see that most of you are holding onto the edge of your seats waiting for it, so rest at ease. It is coming soon.**

**Anyway, enjoy and May the Fourth be with you all!**

* * *

><p>Vivi's voice rang out over the deck, "I have a request to ask of you all."<p>

I looked up to Nami as she pushed off the railing she was resting on with a sigh and walked forward so that she could see Vivi. Again, I followed right at her heels as she moved across the deck.

"I know that it's not my place to make such demands since you've already let me on this boat and all…." She began to explain as everyone watched her in silence. "But with the emerging crisis in my country, I want to go back there as soon as possible. Not even a single moment can be spared anymore! That's why, I ask for this ship to head for Alabasta at the fastest speed!"

"Of course!" Nami said with some effort as the rest of us kept our eyes on Vivi, silently waiting for her next words. "Just like we promised!"

"… Thus we need to find an island with a doctor immediately!" She added. "We have to see that Nami gets better as fast as possible, and then head for Alabasta! That'll be the only way this ship can sail at the fastest speed, right!"

"You bet!" Luffy called out as he cracked a smile. "Can't get any faster than that!"

"You sure?" Usopp asked. "Aren't you worried about the lives of a million Alabastans, being a Princess and all?"

"Exactly!" Vivi said. "That's why we need to get Nami to a doctor as quickly as possible."

"Well said Vivi!" Sanji called out to her as winked. "I've fallen for you all over again!"

"… I like your guts…" Zoro admitted.

"I'm sorry for making you worry. But please don't overexert yourself Nami!" Vivi addressed Nami.

"Sorry… Vivi… But I think…" Nami started to say as she leant again the railing and hunched over it. I whined as I hovered by her side. Was she going to faint again? "I'm really…"

"AAHH!" Suddenly Luffy called out, cutting Nami off as we all look at him and then to what he was pointing at. "WHAT IS THAAAT!"

"IT'S… IT'S A CYCLONE!" Someone from the lower deck called out but I ignored them as Nami collapsed next to me. She slumped to the ground, leaning against the railing. I let out a few loud barks to get someone's attention as I slipped behind her back so she could lean against me to keep herself up.

"AH!" Vivi cried as she saw us. "NAMI, HANG IN THERE!"

"IT'S HUGE!" Luffy cried from the lower deck as Vivi rushed over and helped lift Nami up from the ground. She slung Nami's arm over her shoulder and I helped her lift Nami up by pushing on her.

"WAIT A MINTUE!" Vivi called out over the wind. "That direction is…"

"That's exactly where we were heading just until a moment ago…" Sanji said as he gaped at the size of the cyclone.

"It we had sailed straight we'd have crashed into it by now!" Luffy yelped. "Talk about a close call!"

"I've never seen such a navigator…" Vivi mumbled to herself where only I could hear. I was getting a bit impatient, we need to get Nami back inside! I reached forward as I poked Vivi's leg with my nose, letting out an impatient whine.

* * *

><p>The next day Nami was back in her bed with a fever and the boat was just wandering around looking for an island that might have a doctor. I was lying on Nami's bed, resting against her side with the wall on the other side of me. I had stayed there all night as well; I was keeping a constant eye on her condition.<p>

"Vivi, what do we do!" Sanji cried from the other side of the room as he stamped his feet, Carue quacking. "Nami's fever isn't going down!"

"Sanji! Carue! You have to be quiet!" Vivi scolded them. I lifted up my head, staring at them as I growled somewhat loudly. Vivi, Sanji, and Carue stopped what they were doing and looked at me. I sent Sanji and Carue a dark look, clearly letting them know to be quiet before I cut off the growl and dropped my head down again. These pirates have no bedside manners whatsoever!

* * *

><p>My head shot up yet again when the ship was rocked violently, the bed Nami and I were laying on flying up in the air. Sanji quickly jumped forward and latched onto the bed to keep it somewhat anchored as I threw myself on top of Nami to keep her pinned to the bed.<p>

"What's all this shaking!" Vivi yelped.

Sanji quickly got the bed settled on the ground again and I rolled off Nami, landing on the floor. I quickly scrambled to my feet and Sanji called out, "Vivi, I'll leave her with you for now!"

He then took off running out the door and left Vivi, Carue, and I in the room. I looked at the door and then back at Vivi. I saw her watching me before she said, "Go. I can look after her."

I hesitated for another second before I bolted out the door after Sanji. If I stayed near the door and guarded it, I could stop anyone from going in the room. That would be less stress on Nami.

As I dashed out the door way I skidded to a stop on the slippery snow covered deck next to Sanji, my paws sliding across the ground. As soon as I came to stop I had a gun shoved in my face and several pointed at my sides causing me to freeze.

"Well?" Sanji asked them as he lit a smoke. My eyes noted a huge ship that was in front of the Going-Merry. It was sailing a pirate flag too, causing me to automatically go on the defense. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji all had lots of gun pointed at them, lots of men covering our decks with weirdly matching uniforms. "What's going on?"

"We were ambushed," Luffy answered somewhat calmly.

"Yeah, that's what I figured from the looks of this," Sanji sighed also in a calm manner. I was growling softly with all my hackles on end. How were they all so calm?

"We're in a real hurry you know," Luffy told them as if he thought it would cause them to suddenly just slap our backs laughing and walk off. He wasn't that naïve was he?

"Hmm… That makes four people in total…" On odd voice said from the side of the boat. I flicked my eyes in that direction, not game enough to move my head because of the gun, and I saw an odd, hippo looking man eating meat off a knife as he talked. "There can't be only four people on this ship…"

'_No,_' I snarled mentally as yet again I was overlooked. '_There are four and one fucking dog! See, me? Yes me! I am a dog and I'd like to be counted as well damn it!_'

After he had finished eating the meat off the knife he bit straight into the blade of the knife, breaking it off in his teeth and chewing it. My eyes widened a bit at this display.

"Well, whatever…" The hippo man said. "Let me ask you something."

"The hell!" Luffy asked. "He ate through that knife!"

"Ack!" Usopp cried out as he stuck his tongue out. "It hurts just looking at it!"

I was somewhat inclined to agree with Usopp. No _normal _human could eat knives!

The hippo man chucked the hilt of the knife into his mouth as chewed on it as he started talking again. "We wish to head for Drum Kingdom. Do you happen to have an Eternal Pose or even a Log Pose on you?"

"No," Sanji answered simply as he turned his head to face the hippo guy that was standing on the railing next to us. "And we've never even heard of that place before…"

"If you're done asking, hurry up and go away," Luffy reprimanded him rudely.

"Oh there's no need to rush through life like that," The hippo man waved Luffy off. "Well, if you don't have it then I might as well take all your treasures and your ship instead."

"What!" Luffy yelped at the same time my growling picked up a notch. Like hell he was taking the ship! I juggled my weight nervously on my paws, my sore leg was almost fully better. I could walk on it now; I just shouldn't put too much of a strain on it and I would be fine.

"But hold on…" He said as he turned around and leant down, grabbing onto the railing with his teeth as his mouth expanded greatly. "I'm feeling a bit peckish."

**CRACK**

And with that said he pulled back, snapping off a large part of our ship's rail as he began to eat it. I actually took a step back, ignoring the guns that were pointed at me now. How the hell could he do that!

"WHA!" Sanji yelped next to me.

"WHAT THE HELL," Usopp screeched as the hippo man continued to chew the wood. "IS WITH THIS DUDE!"

"DON'T EAT OUR SHIP!" Luffy cried at the same time the hippo man stepped down from the railing and picked up the anchor rope. He put it up to his mouth and began to chew on it.

"Ohh!" He called. "You even have an anchor rope for me!"

I looked up at Luffy to see what he was going to do about this. I needed orders soon!

"Don't you dare move!" One of the men with a gun cried as he pointed his gun at Luffy. "His highness is in the middle of a meal!"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy cried as he stretched his arm to punch the guy on the top of the head, effectively knocking him down.

"HE'S RESISTING!" Another of the armed men called as more guns were pointed at Luffy, some of the men putting away their guns and pulling out swords.

"SHOOT!" Another man ordered.

"Should've done this from the beginning," Zoro's voice called out as I saw him pulling his swords out.

Sanji grinned next to me as he asked, "So can I beat their asses now?"

"WAIT!" Usopp yelped as he jumped off the railing and scurried for cover as guns were shot at him. "I'M SURE WE CAN TALK THIS OUT!"

I quickly whipped my knife out from its holster and ducked low to the ground as Sanji did a sweeping kicked that managed to knock over most of the gun holders that had guns pointed at us.

Seeing that Sanji had the door covered really well himself, I sprung into the fray, my eyes zeroing in on my first victim. I charged through a maze of legs, dancing across the decking smoothly considering how slippery the snow and ice made the deck. As I reached my first victim I launched myself off the ground and at straight at his chest. My paws connected with his chest as he cried out and began to fall over backwards. My knife flashed out to connect with the side of temple causing his eyes to roll back into his head. He hit the decking with a thump in a dead faint with me standing balanced on his chest.

'_That… Was easy…_' I thought mentally to myself and I jumped off his chest and charged at my next victim. '_These guys are weaklings_.'

I heard more gun shots echo around me but I tuned them out, the guys could take care of themselves. I don't know about Usopp, I just hoped he had found cover, and Vivi, Carue, and Nami were below decks safely.

I slipped my knife away as I ran seeing that these guys weren't even worth it. I snapped my jaws around the leg of the next man as I run past, yanking his leg out from under him. With a cry he fell forwards, taking several other men with him to the ground with him. I jumped away from them, smashing my head into the crotch of another man before he could step away. With a breathless gasp he fell to the ground, clutching at his crotch. It seemed that in such a crowded small space, it was hard for the people to notice a dog darting around. That was a plus for me.

I could hear my own heartbeat echoing in my ears as I moved now. The sounds around me became muffled and distant as adrenaline flowed through my veins. My body felt jittery as I danced across the decking, my legs and paws and spinning and twisting my body with the beat of my heart.

**Thump**

**Thump**

**Thump**

Duck. Dodge. Weave. Twist. There! I jumped, smacking into the chest of another man that had his gun pointed at one of my friends. I snapped my jaws around his wrist with a 'crunch' causing him to cry and drop his gun to drop his gun.

**Thump**

**Thump**

I quickly let go of his arm as we dropped the ground, pushing myself up his chest. I jumped forward, slapping my two fore paws against his forehead. The force behind that forced his head to smack into the decking first with an oddly loud crunch as bone smacked into wood.

**Thump**

**Thump**

My heart felt like it was ready to burst out of my chest but some part of me loved every moment of this. This wasn't a struggle for my life like the other times I had fought. This wasn't me using my brains and what I learnt to take down enemies. This was so different to what I felt any of the other times I fought. My mind was crystal clear and tranquil; not even bothering to run through my battle plans for me. I had no need for thought. This was a dance that didn't need any thought; I just needed to let my body and mind work as one without each other's instincts fight each other. This was what fighting was about. Not blood. Not glory. Not pain. Not revenge. Not entertainment. It was that moment where your body and mind moved together, that time when you felt like one. That moment where instead of sluggish moves you try to plaster together, it feels like a flowing dance.

**Thump**

**Thump**

A sword arched down towards my side so I slipped to the side as the wielder embedded it in the ground where I had been more moments ago. I slipped around the sword and threw my head into his gut causing him to let go of his sword as he fell backwards. I threw my head up so that it smacked into his chin, causing him to pass out. I pushed off him as he fell to the ground, my paws landing lightly on the ground.

**Thump…**

….**Thump**

…**Thump…**

I suddenly snapped back to attention as the odd trance I had been in shattered around me, shoving me back to my normal mental state. I blinked owlishly as I glanced around, my chest heaving with my breaths. The deck was littered with the bodies of our enemy, obviously having all been beaten.

"LUFFY!" I heard Usopp's voice cry out and angled myself just in time to see that hippo man eat Luffy. I held myself back from charging at the hippo when I saw Luffy's arms still hanging outta the hippo man's mouth.

"Hm? What's that long thing hanging out?" The hippo man wondered.

Suddenly the door that Sanji was guarding smashed open and Vivi burst out.

"Oh hey, Vivi. How's Nami doing?" Sanji asked her casually.

"She's…" Vivi stated to say but she trailed off when she saw the scene around us. "What's going on!"

"Hmm… A tough one to chew through aren't you…" The hippo man mumbled as I slipped over to Vivi's side.

"Why you…." Called out a voice from in the hippo man's mouth.

Vivi gasped but I couldn't help smirking as the thing that was 'hanging out of his mouth' came back to smash into the hippo man's face. He went flying off the ship as Luffy came flying out of his mouth, covered in slobber.

"GET OFF MY SHIP!" Luffy yelled at him as he landed back on the deck.

* * *

><p>"You think if we dumped a bucket of water on her, her fever might go down?" Luffy asked.<p>

**BANG**

Sanji and Vivi had both swung around to smack and kicked Luffy over to the other side of the room.

"ARE YOU RETARDED!" Sanji screamed at him.

'_You're being too loud!_' I snapped mentally, glaring at them from my place next to Nami again. We had cleaned up the deck of all those idiots and had sailed on again.

"Damn it… The sun's already going down for the day, Vivi," Sanji pointed out.

"Right… I guess we better drop the anchor for the night then," Vivi sighed in reply. "Without Nami's navigational sense, sailing in the night is too dangerous…"

I let a soft sound rumbled in my chest in agreement, my eyes watching Nami once more for any change of condition.

* * *

><p>"LAND AHOY!" A voice called out from on the deck causing my ears to perk up curiously. I sent a glance at Luffy and Zoro who were also in the room with me to watch Nami.<p>

"Land! Nami, did you hear that! It's an island! Now we can get you better!" Luffy started to blabber excitedly. I lifted up my head to stare at him oddly. Silence seemed to echo in the room as Zoro and I stared at Luffy.

"Just go outside and look…" Zoro sighed as he ordered Luffy out of the room. I shook my head, sharing a look with Zoro.

"Watch her, I'm going out to look," Zoro told me before getting up and walking out after Luffy. I stared owlishly after them, blinking. I then sighed and crawled off the bed, jumping onto the floor. I sat down in front of the bed, my body facing the door in a guarding manner.

* * *

><p>My ears were folded back against my skull, my eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenched tightly shut. I could hear loud voices out of the deck and from around the boat, it sounded like they were arguing.<p>

I jumped violently when I heard a shot go off, the fur on the back of my neck prickling up. After a few seconds there was another shot, lots of loud voices, and then silence. I was shifting my weight nervously back and forth on my fore paws as I waited to see what would happen. I was so tempted to run out there and see what had gone on, but I had to guard Nami.

* * *

><p>"This country has no name," The apparent leader of this island told us as we walked along through the snow. After all the commotion that had gone on the deck Sanji had come back in to collect Nami and we set off to the village to get Nami a doctor. We were currently trudging through the snow with some village people, Vivi, Usopp, Luffy, Sanji, Nami, and I. Snow was blanketing the ground and it was at least half way up my leg as I leapt through it. Everyone else had to wear thick clothes and looked cold but I was feeling fine. My thick fur was keeping me perfectly warm.<p>

"A nameless country?" Vivi questioned him. "Is that even possible?"

"GYAAAAAAA! IT'S A BEAAAAAR!" Usopp suddenly screamed as my head shot around to see a giant bear walking casually past us. "EVERYONE PLAY DEAD!"

Usopp dove into the snow, playing dead as I flittered nervously behind Sanji who was carrying Nami.

"It's just a hiking bear," The guy who was leading us explained. "It poses no danger but mind your hiking manners and don't forget to bow."

We all did as he said, me included. The bear bowed back and kept walking leaving me staring after it in confusion.

* * *

><p>Once we had reached the town, the man, Dalton, had taken everyone to his house to talk to them. I had posted myself by the door, carefully watching anyone that walked by. By the way they greeted us, we could gather that some of them weren't friendly towards pirates so I had chosen to sit outside to give them warning in case some mob with pitchforks and torches came to hunt us down. Not that they probably would.<p>

Out of the corner of my eyes I watched as Usopp and Luffy built huge snowmen right in front of the window of Dalton's house. A smirk slowly crept onto my muzzle as I heard someone open to the curtains of the window.

"Look at my Mr. Hyper-Snowman!" Luffy called out.

"And my Snow-Zilla!" Usopp added.

"THAT'S IT!" I heard Sanji's voice roar from side the house. "I'M KICKING BOTH YOUR ASSES!"

A let a laugh rumble in my chest as I shook my head. Idiots. But lovable idiots nevertheless.

* * *

><p>"I'll stay behind here," Vivi told them. "I'd only drag you down if I came along."<p>

"Me too!" Usopp agreed.

We were all standing outside the house now and from what I'd managed to gather from the snippets of conversation it seemed that we had to go visit and old witch at the top of the mountain. Luffy was going to carry Nami, and Sanji was going with him. And, since I wasn't about let those two idiots look after Nami themselves, I was going with them.

"Alright!" Luffy called out as he started to walk. "Hang on tight Nami!"

"Okay…" I heard her wheeze softly.

"If you're serious about this, I won't stop you but you should at least climb up from the other side…" Dalton told us. "The route to the top from here is full of lapins! They're extremely violent and carnivorous rabbits. If you come across a pack of them, there'll be no escaping alive!"

"Rabbits?" Luffy asked as he turned to Sanji. "But we're in a hurry… I'm sure it'll be fine. Right?"

"Yeah," Sanji shrugged it off. "I'll kick any that get in our way."

"Then let's go Sanji, Mamori!" Luffy said as he bolted forward at a run. "Before Nami dies!"

"DON'T SAY THAT, YOU IDIOT!" Sanji snapped at him as he ran with Luffy.

I followed at a jogging pace behind the two, guarding Nami's back. My head was lowered to brace myself against the wind, my bandanna flapping against my shoulder. Why did I have feeling that it was going to be another _long_ day?

* * *

><p>"It's getting pretty cold with all this wind," Luffy pointed out as we continued to jog through the snow and up the mountain.<p>

"Why the hell are you wearing sandals in this weather?" Sanji asked him. "Just looking at them is making me feel cold!"

"That's just my police!" Luffy argued. "Plus Mamori isn't wearing anything at all!"

I choked, spluttering as I sent Luffy a wide eyed look. That… That just sounded so wrong! But it is so true! I haven't worn anything at all the whole time I had been in the One Piece world. Unless you count my bandanna as clothing… Oh my.

"It's called 'policy'," Sanji pointed out. "And Mamori is a dog, she has fur."

"Oh is it?" Luffy said. "In any case, did ya know that people in snowy countries don't sleep?"

"And why is that?" Sanji asked him with a sigh.

"Because they'll die if they do," Was Luffy's simple reply.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" Sanji snapped at him. In the corner of my eye I noticed a tiny white rabbit lunging at us and I quickly slipped up so that I ran in-between Luffy and the rabbit with Sanji on my other side.

"It's true!" Luffy argued with him. "That's what a guy once told me!"

"RAAWWR!" The bunny cried as it threw itself at Sanji.

"Who, Usopp?" Sanji snorted as he jumped over the lunging rabbit. I watched him curiously as I ran. He wasn't going to fight it? Even if it was just a cute, fluffy bunny…

"Nope, from a guy in a bar," Luffy informed him as he also ignored the rabbit.

"GRR!" The rabbit cried as it lunged at Sanji again.

"Then why was there a bed in that Dalton dude's house?" Sanji argued with him as he ducked and the rabbit went sailing over his head.

"Ah!" Luffy cried. "You're right! Then that must be when it's time for him to die…"

"That's even more ridiculous!" Sanji snapped back as he ducked to avoid the rabbit's lunge again. Instead the rabbit bit onto a tree causing it snap right in half. My eyes widened as the tree fell towards us. I ducked under it, just managing to avoid getting squished by it. Luffy and Sanji just jumped over it like nothing happened and kept running.

"Well, let me ask you this," Sanji sighed. "Did you know that the women of snowy countries all have beautiful smooth skin?"

"Why's that?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Isn't that obvious?" Sanji snorted as they continued running along. I was still running in-between them, my blue eye curiously watching the rabbit that had been trying to eat us this whole time. Why hadn't they done anything about it…? Should I do something? Not that I wanted to hurt the cute little bunny…

"You know how when it's cold, you rub your skin together?" Sanji asked him as he began to explain. "Well that's why. Having smooth white skin is the trademark of women in snowy countries."

"RAWR!" The rabbit cried as it kept lunging at us but we all just kept ducking and jumping over it.

"Why white?" Luffy asked him.

"RAWR!" The rabbit cried in frustration.

"That's because the color of snow seeps inside their skin!" Sanji cooed.

"You're pretty stupid, you know," Luffy pointed out as he jumped over the bunny's lunge.

"You're the last person I want to hear that from!" Sanji snapped at him as I slid to the side to avoid the rabbit.

"In any case," Sanji snarled as the rabbit tried to bite him. He swung around a landed a solid kick on the rabbit, sending it soaring far off into the sky. "WOULD YOU FREAKIN' KNOCK IT OFF ALREADY!"

I watched curiously as the rabbit went flying before I slipped back into my place behind them. At least I didn't have to bite the cute little thing. I may not always be a girly girl but that thing was too damn cute to hurt.

"What's up with that rabbit?" Luffy finally thought to ask.

"Don't know," Sanji shrugged it off as we kept walking.

A few minutes seemed to pass and the wind seem to be picking up, snow flying through the air. I was still not feeling the cold, I was so glad to be a dog right now.

"Hang in there Nami. We'll get you to a doctor soon," Luffy said, breaking the silence that had been hanging over us for a few minutes. "The snow's real thick around here."

I barked at his comment as I trudged through the snow. I had a lot shorter legs then them so it was twice as difficult for me. I knew wolves were good at walking on snow, so why wasn't I?

"Hey, Luffy! Be more careful when running or Nami's body won't hold up!" Sanji scolded him.

"Hm?" Luffy grunted as we all stopped walking. I quickly dashed past them, putting myself in front Luffy who was holding Nami.

"The hell!" Sanji mumbled as we all stared at the giant white rabbits. They were at least three times our size and they were everywhere in front of our path. I couldn't even count the amount because the snow covered some in the background. Oh damn…"What are these things…"

"They're white and big so they gotta be polar bears!" Luffy concluded.

'_No_,' I mentally growled. '_I think they're lapins… The man-eating bunnies with a bad attitude case_. _And that little bunny from before must have been a baby one 'cause these adults definitely aren't cute._'

"IT JUMPED!" Both Luffy and Sanji cried as one of the lapins jumped towards us, flashing its needle sharp claws. We all dove to the side as it slammed its fists down in the snow right where I was seconds ago.

"What in the world…" Sanji muttered as he landed. "How can it jump like that! It's like a gorilla!"

"No! It's a polar bear!" Luffy argued.

"NO! IT'S A GODDAMN RABBIT!" Sanji bellowed at him.

"But didn't you say it was a gorilla?" Luffy asked in confusion. Now was not the time!

"This must be the lapin that Dalton was talking about!" Sanji pointed out. Took them long enough to realize.

"There's so many of them!" Luff pointed out over the wind. I growled softly walking up to his side as we stared at the pack of giants rabbits. We were in for some shit now.

"I guess it's expected of a snow creature to able to move this swiftly over thick snow," Sanji admitted as he gritted his teeth. "We're at a disadvantage here."

Luffy went to move forward but I snarled and shifted in front of him to block his path at the same time Sanji put his arm out and said, "Luffy! Don't lay a hand on any of them!"

"Why not?" Luffy complained. And we left _him_ in charge of Nami why?

"You may be unaffected but the impact of every blow you deliver or receive will be transferred over to Nami as well!" Sanji pointed out him. "So if that happens she'll die for sure!"

"RAWR!" One of the bunnies cried it's challenge to us. I picked up my snarl, my gums pulling back to flash my teeth at the rabbit. I shifted my stance slightly so that my head was lowered and covering my neck and chest protectively, my tail held up in the air. My tongue ran over my teeth warningly as the air in front of my face fogged up with condensation.

'_Bring it ugly bunny,_' I challenged it mockingly.

"G-Got it…" Luffy said in frustration. "I swear not to fight."

"GRR!" A lapin snarled as it lunged and swung its huge paw at Luffy and I. We both managed to duck under and I dove to the side. I then pivoted around on my front paws, snow flying around me.

"Then what should I do?" I heard Luffy call out to Sanji as my body lunged forward, my paws slapping down on the rabbits arm.

"Just dodge for now! Dodge and run away!" Sanji said as I ran straight up its arm, heading straight towards its head. Now that my feet were out of the snow I could move twice as fast as before and I chose to use that to my advantage. When I was out of the snow I was just as fast the rabbits, if not faster. "But don't run too fast!"

"That's way too hard!" Luffy snapped at him from the background. I jumped forward, snapping my jaws around the lapin's ear, using it to swing me around and to yank the rabbit backwards. It roared as it began to fall forward back into the snow. I used it to swing back from the ear to launch myself back up into the air, slamming my paws down on the rabbits face and it fell. Its head was stomped back into the snow as I jumped off it in time to see Sanji take a swing at another rabbit.

"FLANCHET SHOT*!"

The rabbit went soaring back into the snow, flying past its friends. Oh damn… Now we made them angry!

"Damn it... Hard to get any good kicks in with both my feet stuck in the deep snow!" Sanji complained.

I saw a few of the rabbits twitch before they jumped for us all at the same time. We all took off running into the trees as soon as they moved, Sanji yelling, "THEY'RE ALL COMING AT ONCE! WE'LL COVER YOU SO RUN TO THE FOREST!"

I heard the ground shake from behind us as all the lapins missed us with their attacks, my ears pressed back against my head as we pushed through the snowy wind.

"We have to shake them somehow! If we were to seriously fight all of them we'd be stuck until the sun went down!" Sanji yelled to both of us.

"DAMN!" Luffy yelled as he ran in front of us.

"RAWR!" One of the rabbits cried as it jumped through a tree, aiming for Luffy.

"AH!" Luffy yelped as he swung his leg back, ready to hit it.

"STOP!" Sanji order as he blocked Luffy's leg and pushed him to keep running. "I told you to leave them to us! This is a matter of life and death!"

I saw Sanji kick another rabbit out of the corner of my eye as I shifted up to shadow Luffy's heels in case something attempted to attack him again.

"Hey Sanji, we can climb up from here!" Luffy pointed out as I noticed a slight ledge just in front of us.

"Alright! You two go on ahead!" Sanji called to us.

How did he plan to get up there?

I watched, mentally deadpanning as Luffy ran up to a rabbit and used it as a stepping to stone so that he could jump us to the ledge. I sighed and quickly followed him, my paws slapping down on the rabbit's shoulder before I pushed off. I went sailing through the air, sinking into the snow as I hit the ground again. I quickly popped back up out of the snow as Sanji landed next to me. We shared a quick look before we started running with Luffy again, the rabbits were quick to follow us.

"THEY'RE STILL AFTER US!" Sanji yelped.

"JUST KEEP RUNNING ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP!" Luffy ordered us and we kept running for a few minutes before we noticed that the lapins had stopped. We all slowly came to a stop, turning around.

"The heck are they doing now?" Luffy asked in confusion. "They stopped chasing after us."

"But now they're up to something else…" Sanji noted.

I furrowed my brows as I stared at the giants bunnies as they all jumped up and down on the spot. The hell were they doing? It was almost like they were trying to make an earthquake… Or an… Av… Avalanche… _Fuck_.

"W-Wait…" Sanji gaped at the same time I figured it out and we spun around to see a mist of snow rising at the top of the mountain. "It can't be! They couldn't possibly be trying to…!"

The mist of snow slowly grew bigger and bigger as it got closer to us, causing the ground to shake.

"Those damn rabbits really did it…" Sanji cried. "Please tell me I'm dreaming…"

"What is it Sanji!" Luffy asked Sanji as I sprang into action. I nudged Luffy's leg, trying to get him to start moving again.

'_Come on, come on, come on!_' I snapped at him. '_LET'S GO!_'

"LUFFY!" Sanji snapped at him. "START RUNNING!"

"Run? Run where?" Luffy asked so I shoved him harder causing him to stumble away a few steps. "Mamori!"

"Anywhere's fine! Just as long as it's far away from here!" Sanji yelled at him. "BECAUSE THERE'S AN AVALANCHE HEADED RIGHT FOR US!"

* * *

><p>*Belly Shot<p> 


	28. Snow Fight

**Well, here is chapter twenty eight. Thank you for all the well wishes, my sugery went well. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"I SWEAR THAT THE NEXT TIME I SEE THOSE RABBITS I WILL GRILL THEM WITH MY OWN HANDS!" Sanji bellowed as we ran down the mountain at full speed, the avalanche hot on our heels.<p>

'_I'll help! Those things are going to die!_' I snarled mentally as my paws flew through the snow, still holding the position behind Luffy.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO SANJI!" Luffy demanded to know.

"How should I know! The only thing I know is first, we must protect Nami, second, third, fourth, and even fifth, we must protect Nami with our own lives!" Sanji pointed out to us and I couldn't even find the energy to bark in agreement as I ran.

"I know but how can we protect her?" Luffy cried.

'_IT'S ALMOST ON US!_' I yelped mentally as I felt the rumbling get closer to us. '_RUN LUFFY! RUN!_'

"THERE!" Sanji cried as he pointed out a little cliff ledge in the snow. "CAN YOU SEE THAT CLIFF?

"Cliff?" Luffy asked as he looked around for it.

"Let's run there! As long as we stay there, we should be okay!" Sanji informed us and we quickly changed our course.

"IT'S COMING!" Sanji cried as we pumped our legs to reach the spot, the fury of falling white snow only meters from us.

"AHHH!" Luffy screamed out.

'_JUST JUMP!_' I encouraged them mentally although they couldn't hear me so I think it was mostly encouragement for myself.

I watched as both of them managed to jump up onto the cliff ledge, following shortly behind them as the cold snow brushed past my tail.

"OKAY, WE'RE SAFE!" Sanji pointed out but as I turned around I noticed that he had spoken too early. There was a wave of white snow looming above us, ready to crash down right where we were. "WHAT! WE'RE NOT HIGH ENOUGH!"

"AHH!" Luffy cried out as we all jumped up in the air at the same time to escape the snow that rushed over where we were just standing. I twisted awkwardly in the air, white all around me. "WE'LL BE COVERED WITH SNOW!"

"AHH!" Sanji yelped as he fell back into the snow and I angled my body to thump down into the snow next to him. It wasn't as easy as it seemed though; I got sucked under the snow like it was quicksand, not snow. I felt my body flip over a few times before I felt a hand latch onto the back of my scruff, yanking me back up to the surface. I spluttered for a few seconds mentally thanking Sanji for saving my ass yet again.

"SANJI! Grab my hand!" I heard Luffy cried and saw Sanji clutch Luffy's outstretched arm with his other hand that wasn't holding me up.

"We're safe!" Sanji gasped and he was pulled up onto of the pine tree Luffy was riding. Sanji quickly pulled me up with him and I settled down on the log behind him, my nails digging into it as I tried to cling on. Luffy was squatting on the log behind me, trying to direct it.

"That's right! We are safe but we're going down the mountain!" Luffy pointed out over the roar of the falling snow.

"ARE YOU KIDDING!" Sanji ranted. "We spent ages trying to climb this mountain! We were so close! Can you find any way to stop this? Damn those rabbits, I swear that I will put them in the hot pot next time!"

I noticed sudden movement all around us and my eyes widened to see over 20 lapins surrounding us as they rode their own trees like snowboards.

"WHAT THE..!" Luffy yelped as both his and Sanji's jaws dropped.

'_This… This is not normal!_' I mentally muttered in shock. _'NORMAL ANIMALS CANNOT RIDE TREES LIKE SNOWBOARDS!'_

"GRR!" Two of the lapin's growled as they swerved their boards to try and swipe at us.

"RUN!" Sanji order as Luffy just managed to angle the tree we were sliding on to dodge the swipe of the two lapins.

We need to do something!_ I_ need to do something!

"WHAT'S WITH THEM ANYWAY!" Luffy yelled out loud as they swiped at us again. We all managed to duck down low to avoid the swipe.

"GRR!" One of the rabbits cried as it lunged for me, mouth first. With a yelped I pressed myself flat down against the wood, its teeth snapping a hairs length away from my back.

"LUFFY! LOOK OUT!" Sanji cried out as he pointed in front of us.

'_OH, FOR FUCKS SAKE!_' I snapped as I saw a large rock in our path and with the rabbits surrounding us it didn't look like there was anything we could do!

"A ROCK!" Luffy gasped. "WE'RE GOING TO HIT IT!"

"BUT YOU'RE CARRYING NAMI, IT'S GOING TO HURT HER TOO!" Sanji yelled at Luffy as we seemed to get closer to it. I looked nervously back and forth between the two. What were we meant to do!

Suddenly both Luffy and I were picked up by Sanji and thrown off the log, flying into the air as we both watched him with large eyes. I felt the air swishing all around me as I tried to control my flight.

'_SANJI!_' I cried out.

"A gentleman should always be gentle with a lady," He told Luffy and then I watched in horror as the log he was on hit the rock as shattered into many little pieces. Sanji's body was tossed into the air like a rag doll as he went flying away.

A lot of the lapins around us also went flying off their logs as they were also thrown into the air with us. When I saw one aiming to hit Sanji as he went flying through the air, I quickly jolted into action. He had saved me more times than I care to count, it was time to try and repay him.

I flipped my body around in the air by kicking my legs, purposely flinging myself in the path of one of the falling lapins. It saw me coming and took a swipe at me with its massive paws, just what I wanted.

"SANJI! MAMORI!" I heard Luffy calling from the background and I saw Sanji get kicked by one of the rabbits. Damn, I needed to get to him fast!

I continued to angle my body into the right position as the rabbit's paws hit me. I took the blow with my legs, sending me shooting forward like a bullet to where Sanji was falling. I gritted my teeth when I felt a jolt of pain spread up my sore leg again.

I watched as Sanji hit the snow, slamming into the snow right next to him as it rushed around us in a torrent. Before I could sink, I lashed out with my teeth and managed to latch onto the sleeve of Sanji's jacket; sinking my teeth deep into it to keep my grip.

"Mamori!" I heard him gasp weakly before we were both sucked under the current of rushing snow, the lapin's falling all around us.

"YOU IDIOTS! WHO TOLD YOU TO DO THAT!" I heard Luffy yelled at as we sunk, my body being flipped and swung around under the snow. I kept a firm grip on Sanji, even as my head thrashed and pulled against the current as it tried to separate us. I was not letting go! "SANJI! MAMORI!"

I lost track of what was up and what was down quickly, the snow choking me all around. We seemed to tumble along in the snow for a fair distance at an insane speed, my thick coat protecting me from the biting cold and the rough impacts.

I got so dizzy and disorientated that it took me a few minutes to notice when I had finally come to stop; every part of my body numb.

'_Fuck…_' I groaned mentally. '_Let's not do that again._'

I tightened my mouth and mentally celebrated as I still felt Sanji's coat sleeve in my grasp. That alone gave me the strength to wiggle around and weakly dig closer to him. I tunneled through the snow to Sanji's side, whimpering when I saw that he was unconscious. I knew a human wouldn't last long in these conditions and that I needed to get him out of the deep snow quickly. I needed to dig him out, but which way was up?

I twitched my nose as I tried to gather the scents of the area, it was hard because my nose was frozen and being buried under snow did not help at all. Finally I smelt where the fresh air was coming from and started to dig that way. It was a lot easier to dig through snow than it was to dig through dirt but it was still damn tiring. Add that to getting carted down a mountain by an avalanche and it equals one tired ass dog.

I made sure to dig diagonally so that I could drag Sanji out when I reached the top. With every stroke of my paws I flung snow back, digging to the surface while being careful not to throw snow on Sanji. As well as digging, I also wiggled my way through some parts of the snow, creating a rounded tunnel. It was only a few meters to the surface and when I finally broke through I stuck my head up to glance around like a meerkat. I didn't see any of those damn rabbits around, so I dove back down into the snow, crawling back to Sanji on my stomach.

I snagged the back of his jacket in my jaws and slowly began to drag him through the snow and back up the top. A few times I had to stop and dig a part of the tunnel a bit wider so that I could fit his body through. When I finally managed to drag him out into the open, dragging him across the snowy ground and away from the hole. I then collapsed to the ground on my side next to Sanji. I whined as I squeezed my eyes closed, my chest heaving as I took short, gasping breaths.

Every part of my body ached now that I had stopped, I couldn't feel the pads on my paws now that I had stopped digging.

'_No!_' Part of my mind snapped at me. '_Don't you DARE give up now. If you stop and lay here in the snow you'll both die; dog or not! And what about Nami and Luffy? Are you just going to leave them to fend for themselves! Get off your ass and keep going! It is NOT time for you to give up!_'

I snapped my eyes back open at my conscience's harsh words, looking at Sanji. He was still passed out laying in the snow, unmoving. If I left him like that he'd die pretty quickly…

I sighed once more, dragging myself sluggishly to my feet, not even bothering to shake all the snow off my coat. I stuck my nose under Sanji's shoulder, awkwardly wiggling myself under him as I tried to get him on my back.

With a bit more wiggling, thrashing, and mentally swearing I managed to get Sanji sprawled across my back, his arms and legs dangling in the snow. For a skinny guy he sure weighed a ton. Just the weight of him on my back already had my paws sinking deeper into the snow.

I took one step forward, dragging him with me. It was shortly followed by another, and another, my mind zoning out as I labored through the snow back up the damn mountain to find Luffy and Nami.

* * *

><p>"MAMORI! SANJI!" A voice called out and my head shot up to see Luffy jogging towards me. I had only been walking a few minutes but every part of my body was still protesting.<p>

"Good..." He sighed seeing that we were both still alive as he reached down to pat my head. I rubbed the top of my head against his hand, my tail giving a lifeless wag. I then let out a whine at him when I noticed that he didn't have his jacket on anymore and that Nami wasn't with him. "I left Nami back on rock to come find you guys. We better hurry back and get to her to the old witch! Here, let me take Sanji."

As Luffy's hands reached out to grab Sanji off my back, I let out a growl and snapped at the air just before his fingers, making sure not to actually bite him.

"Wha!" He spluttered as he pulled back. "Mamori!"

I let out a pissy snort as I glared at him, my tail giving one dismissive flick. I then began to walk forward again, taking Sanji with me as I headed back the way Luffy had come. I wasn't about to let him carry Sanji AND Nami. I wasn't sure he would make it to the mountain if he had to do that. I'd carry Sanji.

I heard the snow crunching besides me as he caught up; staying silent. I think he'd gotten the meaning of my snap pretty quickly. Good, I'd trained him well.

* * *

><p>"Grr!" I heard a small voice snarl just in front of Luffy and I as we walked towards it. We had gone back and picked up Nami and then Luffy and I had silently continued our journey up the mountain. Luffy hadn't tried to get Sanji off me again either. "Grr!"<p>

A frown crossed my muzzle as we got closer and I noticed that it was the fluffy, cute little bunny digging at the snow where a large paw was just sticking out. Its parent must be buried in the snow…

I lengthened my stride, dragging Sanji with me as I walked up the tiny bunny. It didn't seem to notice me until I started to dig at the snow where the larger rabbit paw was and when it saw it me it growled loudly, flashing it's sharp little bunny teeth. I ignored it and dug up the paw a bit more before Luffy walked up behind me and grabbed onto the paw that I dug up. I took a few awkward steps back as Luffy pulled the giant rabbit up out of the snow before dropping it and continuing to walk on. I sent the rabbits one last look as the little bunny threw itself at the larger one with a cry before trudging on into the snow after Luffy.

The wind battered against Luffy and I as we continued to battle against it to carry on. My body was way beyond the point of tired by now. I could no longer feel any parts of my body, they were all numb. I think the pads on my feet might even be frostbitten, but now was not the time to worry. For all I know Luffy, Sanji, and Nami could all be frostbitten too.

I glanced up in time to see Luffy send a determined glance at the mountain, "We will get you there so don't either of you die!"

I brushed my head up against Luffy's leg as he said that, a comforting rumbling sound producing itself from my chest. Luffy looked down at me and smiled but both our heads snapped up as a voice yelled out across the snow.

"LOOK! LORD WAPOL! LET'S KILL THEM!" I heard a creature come thundering up to us, tearing straight past us before spinning around stopping right in our path. I snarled lowly, swishing my tail at them. It seemed the hippo man was back and he brought a chess piece, an afro man, and a demented half black and half white clown with him.

"Wait! You've disrespected me too many times you little brat!" The hippo man spat at us from on top of his snow camel thing.

"Get out of my way!" Luffy called out and I backed it up with my growl. I couldn't fight now because I had Sanji! How were we going to get out of this?

"Are you dreaming?" He laughed at us. "Why do I have to let you go? Those things that you are carrying are about to die anyway."

'_Not if I can help it!_' I snapped at him but of course he didn't hear me and I was ignored.

Luffy just silently turned around and began to walk off in the opposite direction causing me to follow him obediently.

"Hey! Stop!" The hippo cried after us. "I've come up with a new law. Write it down, Chess. Whoever turns his back on the king shall suffer death. NOW GO AND KILL ALL OF THEM! WHETHER THEY ARE WEAK OR NOT!"

"Yes, my Lord!" Three voices called out as they launched themselves at Luffy and I.

"What the..?" Luffy gritted out in anger as we both turned around to face out attackers.

"BIKKURI MĀRIMO*!" The afro man called out, throwing his iron, spiked ball fists at Luffy.

"TSUME HAYASHI*!" Another voice called at the same time and I had to throw myself to the side as an odd looking weapon sliced through the air, quickly followed by another swipe with the same weapon in the other hand, ducking to dodge it this time.

"DAMN IT!" Luffy yelled as he straightened back out. I quickly jumped back and over to Luffy's side. I looked back to who had just attacked me and I saw the demented clown, half his suit in black and the other half in white. Even his face, skin, and hair were painted white or black in a symmetrical line. In his hands he held two identical weapons, the looked like a stick with a mini curved blade coming out of the top. Attached to the bottom was a chain and a small anchor looking ball of metal. **(A.N. Kusari-gama)**

I knew what I had to do now… It's not like I could have climbed such a steep mountain with Luffy anyway.

I stepped in front of Luffy, tipping my shoulder so that I gently lowered Sanji onto the ground by Luffy's feet.

"Wha!" Luffy yelped in confusion. "Mamori!"

I angled my head back to look at him before shaking my head and flashed him an impish smirk. I then jerked my head roughly in the direction on the mountain.

Luffy's eyes widened quickly in comprehension, "But…!"

"You can't get away from us!" The chess piece called out as he fired several arrows at us. Luffy quickly scooped up Sanji and jumped out of the way as I slid around the arrows neatly to avoid them, I felt so much lighter now that I had gotten rid of Sanji off my back. I then spread my weight out on my legs, my nails digging into the snow.

'_GO NOW LUFFY!_' I begged him.

"Mamori!" Luffy's voiced called out from behind me. "You'd better come back!"

A ghost of a smile crossed my jaw as I let out a loud bark at Luffy. I dearly hoped I would make it back alive to him. But maybe, just maybe, I'd bitten off too much this time.

I heard Luffy running away from behind me, taking Nami and Sanji safely with him.

"Winter empire's secret technique: Yukigesho*," The hippo man called out and without me even blinking they all seemed to disappear. Shit!

I swore mentally as I spun around, slipping my knife away again as I took off after Luffy. No doubt they were going to aim for him!

"This is weird? Did they give up?" Luffy's asked as he turned around to face me as he ran. I sent him a look or fear as a huge mouth popped up out of the snow right in front of Luffy. Seeing my look he spun around in time to jump away when the hippo man snapped his mouth closed.

"AHH!" Luffy yelped as he went flying up into the air just as I reached the hippo man. I jumped up onto his face, using it as a jumping point to launch me up into the air after Luffy as the other three men appeared in mid-air, their weapons aimed at Luffy.

"This is our fighting technique: Yukigesho!" They cried as the same time as they aimed their attacks at Luffy. The afro man had his arm pulled back to punch Luffy with his iron-ball spiked hand and the chess man had an arrow pulled back. The clown had his arms crossed over in an 'X' shape, his weapons at the ready.

I knew that I couldn't exactly shove Luffy out of the way due to the fact that Nami was still seriously ill, so instead I latched onto his foot, using my weight to spin him around and send him flying away from them with me in his place. I closed my eyes and waited to get hit but I heard three identical thuds and felt no pain. I opened my eyes to see three lapins had jumped in and sucker punched the men back to the ground.

I landed on the ground at the same time the lapins did, pivoting around to face off with the chess, clown, and afro again with a lapin on either side of me and one behind me. I wasn't even going to ask why they were helping. I didn't want to know; I was just glad they were.

"Polar bears?" I heard Luffy mumbled from the back as he also landed safely on the ground.

"LAPINS!" The hippo man yelped.

"Are they protecting that kid and dog?" Afro man asked.

"That's impossible! Lapins have never liked us humans!" The chess man argued as they both stood back up.

"Damn animals!" The clown man groaned as he got up as well.

"Grr!" One of the lapins cried as it flexed its muscles and turned its head back to Luffy.

"Thanks for helping us!" Luffy cried out as he finally took off running again, leaving me and the lapins behind to deal with these guys.

"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!" Hippo cried after Luffy.

"Yes Sir!" His minions cried out but more lapins appeared to block off their escape route.

"What are they doing!" The hippo man yelped as I took a threatening step forward whilst snarling. I heard some of the lapins around me growl in response, ready to back me up. I felt a lot better that I had someone to fight with now. I still doubted I'd fare well against these guys though…

I took a deep breath in through my nose, my eyes narrowing dangerously in concentration as I shifted into a fighting stance. I plucked my knife up again as I charged at them with a battle cry, the lapins following my example.

I ran straight over the snow, my paws dragging in it to slow me down. I made a direct beeline towards them, the chess man pulling back and letting lose an arrow aimed at me. I dove to the side at the last second, the arrow sliding past me. One of the lapins jumped straight past me, swiping at the chess man.

"KUROSU KIRU*!" The clown cried as he lunged at me, slicing his weapons in an 'X' shape as he tried to strike me. I jumped up and over him to avoid the blow, yanking out my knife in mid-air. The clown jumped up in the air after me, swinging his left blade in an arc as he tried to cut me.

I flipped my body around somewhat awkwardly, just managing to catch his weapon on my knife. I grunted and shoved my paws out, catching him the stomach as I used it to push myself away from him.

I landed on all four paws, slipping into a defensive position automatically as the clown landed crouched in the snow. I saw a lapin go flying through the air over my head as the afro man punched it away, with more lapins launching themselves at the other two men.

"You're mine dog, I need a new snowsuit and your fur looks perfect for it," The clown jeered at me, quickly jumping forward to attack me again.

I swore mentally and threw myself backwards as the blade whooshed past my chest, just missing my bandanna. Before I managed to recover he swung the blade in the other hand causing me to dodge back again, then he repeated that with the hand he used to fist time. He kept swiping at me like this as I continued to dance backwards through the snow, ducking and sliding to the side and back as I avoided the blows.

Back. Duck. Back. Dodge. Back. Slide. Back.

**THUMP**

A breathless gasp escaped my throat as I felt my hinds connect with something solid, grinding my dodging to a stop. My eyes flicked up to see branches looming above me, signaling that I had run into a tree. I saw a smirk cross the clown's face as he swung his weapon at me now that I had nowhere to go to. I brought my blade up to block the attack, sparks flying as the blades met violently. While he held back my knife with one of his weapons he swung his other blade at my side causing me to drop myself in the thick snow. He stumbled forward slightly, his blade sinking into the trunk of the tree.

I jumped back up, driving my deadly knife forward, aiming for his stomach but he managed to pull his weapon out in time to dodge my blow. He jumped back, skidding to a stop in the snow in front of me.

"Hmm, you're going to be harder work than I thought. You fight well, for a dog that is," He sneered at me as he quickly unfurled both the chains on his weapons.

He spun the chains around once before letting them fly right over my head. I had tensed only to cock my head in confusion as the chains completely missed me, only to wrap around the branches above my head.

'_What in the world…_' I mumbled.

He slipped his right foot back through the snow, leaning his body back as he roughly yanked back on his chains. My head shot up as I heard a large rustling sound only to see a ton of white coming straight for me. He had purposely done that so the snow from the branches would fall on me!

I couldn't dodge this one on time, only being able to tuck my head in as a heavy load of snow was dumped on me. It was a lot heavier than I thought and my legs gave out on me, my breath rushing out of my chest.

I waited until everything seemed to settle around me, giving me time to catch my breath. I then wiggled around the snow a bit before shoving myself back up to my feet, the snow showering all around me as it was thrown off.

The sight I was met with was two blades on poles coming straight at me, giving me no prior warning or time to dodge. I tried to dive to the side as one of the blades was raked across my left shoulder, leaving a huge bleeding line. The other blade flew straight for my head, slicing a thick cut right above my right eye.

I stumbled away to the side slightly before launching myself back at the clown, my blade sinking into his thigh this time. He cried out in pain, driving his, what I now figured to be, kusari-gama point down at me. I didn't feel like getting stabbed again and I wouldn't have enough time to pull my knife out so I let go of the knife and darted away to the left of him, backing up as I snarled.

He grunted, holding both his weapons in one hand and wrapping the other hand around the blade in his leg. He then crudely yanked it straight out, crying in pain as he did so. His shoulders rose and fell as he tried to control his heavy breathing brought on by the pain, his fist clamped around the hilt of my bowie knife as blood ran down his leg.

His eyes lifted up to meet my own, fury boiling behind his pupils as he glared. The muscles on the top of my muzzle twitched as I ran my tongue over my guns teasingly, clearly issuing a challenge.

"You are going to die now dog!" He spat at me as he threw my knife away, sending it flying through the air and far away from both of us.

Something wet ran down over my right eye causing it to clamp closed as the wet substance continued to trail down my cheek. The smell of blood burnt my nose, making me realize the cut above my eyes was bleeding and blinding that eye. My shoulder also had a huge cut on it that was bleeding, the red substance staining and matting my orange and white fur.

He threw his other kusari-gama back into its original hand, spinning the sticks around as the chains dragged loosely in the snow. Damn… I had no knife to block his attacks anymore and he had two weapons with blades and chains. Fun.

'_Come on!_' I chided myself. '_Think, what can you do now!_'

I came up blank… Every plan I made had risks higher than the chance of it succeeding. If I tried to bite him it would leave me open to both his blades and chains. I can't keep dodging him for ever because he does have chains on that weapon. I couldn't try and get my knife because I would have to go past him to get it, leaving myself completely open again.

A took a deep breath in an attempt to compose myself somewhat and to clear my train of thought. My eyes fluttered shut as I calmed down. I ground my paws into the snow, my legs slipping into a balanced position as my heart rate seemed to slow down.

I won't think. That's my plan of strategy. It worked back on the boat, why not now?

"What the…" I heard the clown muttered as he watched me.

'_Calm. Calm. Calm_,' I mentally chanted.

"Haha, well if you really want to give up and die that easily, I'll be happy to kill you," The clown laughed as he began to charge forward, his feet crunching against the snow.

'_Calm. Calm. Calm_!' I continued to tell myself, my eyes still squeezed closed.

**…****..Thump**

"GAHHH!" I heard his battle cry as his footsteps got closer.

**…****.Thump**

'_Calm! Calm! Cal-NOW!_' I snapped as my left eye shot open, my right still glued together with blood.

My body jumped straight into action seeing both blades being brought down at me, throwing myself to the left side of him. I vaguely saw shock covering his expression at my sudden movements but I quickly blocked it out. I landed on his left side, my front paws slapping down into the snow first. I used the motion of the jump and the position of my paws to pivot my body around in a twirl. When my back feet brushed against the snow I launched myself off again, jaw opening as I flashed my teeth.

**Thump**

He began to bring his left arm up to block with his weapon but I moved too fast, my front paws slapping down on his arm and shoving it back down. My head lashed out like a snake striking, my mouth closing aggressively around his left shoulder.

**CRACK**

The sound of breaking bones echoed numbly in my ears as he cried out in pain, stumbling back in the snow. His left weapon dropped limply out of his grasp, his right hand swinging up to attack me with his other weapon. I braced my paw against his chest, shoving back roughly with some force. Pain sprung up my cut shoulder but I kept my grip on his own shoulder as I pushed back, my sharp teeth shredding through flesh like a blade.

**Thump**

As my teeth slid their way out of his shoulder I dropped to the ground, ducking under his weapon, I then pressed my stomach flat against the tickling snow. Due to the force of his swung and his inability to transfer the created energy onto another object, he stumbled forward, his feet coming down towards me.

**Thump**

I quickly rolled to the side, flipping over on the snow, purposely shoving my back legs in front of him. His feet connected with my legs, causing him to trip over, falling into the snow on his stomach. I quickly scrambled back up and jumped onto him before he could move, my front paws pressing down his shoulder while my back legs pinned his hips down against the ground.

**Thump**

My head shot out and I clamped my jaw around the back of his neck, my needle like teeth sinking into the flesh to draw blood. I heard the clown cry out from under me but I drowned his cry out with a booming growl, tightening my grip to stop his struggling. I pushed down on my paws, my claws sinking into his clothing as another warning. The growl continued to rumble out of my chest as my sides heaved, my senses slowly surfacing again.

…**Thump...**

The tense air around us was only interrupted by my continued growling as I considered what to do with him. I didn't want to break his neck; I'm not that cruel. I couldn't whip out my blade and knock him out because he had thrown it away. I need to knock him out but the minute I moved he would try to attack me again.

'_1… 2…_' I counted down to myself.

'…3!' I threw myself off him, letting go of his neck, landing in the snow besides him. In a spilt second he had flipped over onto his back, slicing his blade towards me. I had anticipated this and had already angled my body so that I could lean back just in time to doge his weapon. I then dove forward, slamming my forehead against his own.

**CRUNCH**

The sound of flesh hitting flesh and bone smashing into bone echoed across the barren landscape. His eyes flickered shut as he slumped against the ground, a trail of blood gathering against his forehead.

I stumbled back a few steps before I tripped dizzily over my own feet and ended up sprawled into the snow.

'_Oh my, OUCH!_' I flailed mentally. '_Not your fucking smartest idea!_'

I laid quietly in the snow as the world spun around me, my eyes squeezing closed until the spinning sensation passed.

My left eyes shot open after a few seconds as I suddenly realized that I hadn't seen the other three men and the lapins since I had gotten into a fight with this guy! In all the dodging I had done I had gotten further away from them than I thought! I couldn't even hear any other sounds of fighting anymore either.

I was still so damn tired, not one muscles in my body wasn't hurting at least a tiny bit. I bit back my irritation and heaved myself back up to my paws. I sent a look at the clown, glad to see him still passed out. I then skittered past him, scooping up my knife and gently putting away. The wound on my shoulder was rather close to the knife holder and it looked slightly deep too. Oh well, it was only a flesh wound, right?

* * *

><p>I hesitantly trotted back to the area where I had last seen all the lapins and the sight that met me had my blood boiling in raw fury.<p>

The lapins were all spread around in the snow, all of the covered in some sort of injury or another. The hippo, chess, and afro man weren't anywhere to be seen. They must have already left. I ground my teeth together in frustration, my one working eye narrowing dangerously. I saw the tracks of that odd snow creature that they had come here on made and noticed that the tracks led towards the mountain. I pressed my ears back against my skull and took a few steps forward before my whole world spun again. Everything turned black for a second as I spaced out and when I gathered my wits I noticed that I was sprawled on the ground. My body had finally been pushed far enough to shut down and seemed to be giving out before I could do any more damage to myself. I tried to swim to the surface but it seemed like I kept slipping further and further into the black abyss, eventually loosing myself. I was dragged away from the cold white landscape to a warm black world.

* * *

><p>*Surprise Marimo (or Marimo's Surprise in FunimationViz)

*Swift Claw

*Literally means: Snow-Covered. Funimation/Viz: Snow Powder Makeup

*Cross Cut

* * *

><p><strong>What does everyone else think of the new review button? I personally love it, they need to make more of the buttons on the site like this! xDD<strong>


	29. Pink Snow

I woke up to being really warm; it felt like I was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets. Then next thing I noticed was the fact it felt like someone was rocking me back and forth slowly. I murred happily in my sleep, not wanting to wake up.

After a few more minutes of warmth and rocking, the images of what had happened before I had passed out slowly came floating back to me. Clowns. Black and white. Trees. Lapins. Pain.

My eyes shot open quickly, but only one seemed to open properly. My right one was swollen from the cut and the blood dribbling from the wound had acted like an adhesive. I glanced around and I noticed white fur. I was wrapped in a blanket of white fur...? I glanced around a bit more, lifting up my head and I noticed that I had white furry arms wrapped around me to hold me. I looked straight up and saw a lapin's face looking down at me as it continued to walk. I was being carried by a lapin…

I froze, my muscles tensing until the tiny, cute little bunny popped its head up over the larger lapin's shoulder and chirped at me. I folded my ears back against my skull, relaxing just ever so slightly. I then glanced around and saw that we were basically walking in the middle of nowhere, with only trees and lots of snow to keep us company.

The lapin must have picked me up to stop me from freezing to death, but where was it taking me? I wiggled around a bit letting out a few soft yips to let the larger lapin know I wanted down. It growled in annoyance before stopping and bending over to deposit me on the ground. My legs shook under me as I put my weight on them, so the lapin kept his large paws around me until I shakily managed to stumble forward a few steps. All my muscles and limbs ached, my shoulder screaming in pain where I had been cut.

The lapin let out another rumbling growl as it straightened up again, using its arms to beckon me to come with it before continuing to waddle off. I hesitated a second before shaking my head and trotting after the lapin.

The little lapin let out another chirping sound as it scrambled off the large lapin, jumping to the ground. It then scrambled over to me, chirping excitedly as it peered up at me. I stopped, scrutinizing it curiously. What did it want?

The baby lapin suddenly jumped at me causing me to flinch as it landed on my back. I felt its claws grasp the fur on my back and I almost tried to throw it off but it made a happy chirping sound yet again. The small lapin snuggled into my thick fur and I looked up to the see the larger one watching me. I froze at the cautious look on its face. If I had attacked the tiny lapin I have no doubt it would have tried to attack me.

The large lapin grumbled in annoyance before beaconing with its arm and waddling off. I sighed and set off after it, this time with a hitchhiker snuggled on my back like a koala.

* * *

><p>I saw the top of a very large tree in the distance; it seemed to be where the lapin was taking me. The little bunny was on my back, still twittering away to me. It reminded me of a kid, one that wouldn't shut up on long trips and talked nonstop. I had to admit it was cute though and it kept my back vaguely warm while I walked after the large lapin.<p>

I suddenly heard some voices drift forward on the wind causing the lapin in front of me to stop walking, its large ears twitching curiously. It let out a commanding grunt and the little rabbit chirped sadly before scrambling off my back. I watched as it bounded back to the large rabbit and climbed up on its back.

The large rabbit looked at me and then pointed to the large tree. I think it wanted me to go that way. It then started to walk away but I barked after it causing its head to turn back around. I slid out my left leg in the snow, my right tucking neatly under my body as I lowered my head and shoulders. My head hovered just above the ground as I bowed appreciatively towards the lapin in thanks for its help and the help of the other lapins.

I heard it pause for a few seconds before it continued to waddle away. I slowly lifted up my head again, watching it as it disappeared in the snow and trees. I shook my head again; today had been a weird day to say the least. And it had hardly even started.

I turned around and set off at a sprint towards the large tree and to where the voices were drifting from.

* * *

><p>"The boy in the village just found it," I heard a voice I didn't recognize say as I trotted closer to the mass of people.<p>

"This is quite surprising. I can't believe that there would be a rope here," Another voice said as a bunch of people standing around under the large tree came into view. "And isn't this place Dr. Kureha's old house?"

Before anyone could answer I barked loudly once to announce my presence only to freeze when several men spun around and pointed guns at me.

'_Well,_' I thought sourly. '_These guys always seem to know how to give a warm welcome._'

"Wait!" A voice I recognized as Vivi's called out before anyone could shoot. "Don't shoot! That's Mamori!"

Vivi ran out of the group of people, Usopp following shortly behind her as they ran up to me. I wasn't game enough to move because of the guns so I settled for wagging my tail happily in greeting.

Vivi knelt down on the snow in front of me, throwing her arms around as she pulled me in for a hug.

"Mamori!" She cried as clutched me to her chest. "I'm so glad to see you're alive!"

I let an amused and reassuring tone rumbled in my chest as I reached up my head to rub it against Vivi's cheek, making sure not to use the right side of my head so that I didn't further aggravate my right eye.

She finally let go and sat back a bit as she looked over me with a frown.

"You're hurt," She pointed out with a frown.

"If she's here where are Luffy, Sanji, and Nami?" Usopp asked from behind her and I looked up, meeting his eyes. Making sure I had his attention I jerked my head in the direction on the mountain, hoping that I was right and that Luffy had in fact made it there.

"So they made it then?" Vivi asked happily.

I tilted my head to the side, slipping and impish smirk on my muzzle as I looked her through my one eye. I then let out one monotone bark, guessing she'd get the point.

* * *

><p>"Hey, there are too many people on this lift!" Vivi yelped as the lift rocked in the wind.<p>

Everyone that had surrounded the tree had gotten on the lift. This included Vivi, Usopp, Zoro, Dalton, and a few village men. I had also gotten on the lift and had managed to wiggle my way under the seat to stop people stepping on me. Too crowded… Way too crowded!

"But we can't let Mr. Dalton fight alone!" Another unknown voice cried as I sighed jadedly. "We will fight with you!"

"I understand, but with this many people it will take longer for us to get to the top!" Vivi argued with the villagers.

"Mr. Dalton, please don't overdo it!" I heard Vivi's worried voice chide the large man as he groaned in pain. Apparently the hippo guy had paid the village a visit before coming after us, wounding Dalton during his visit.

"Hey, you! Peddle faster!" I heard Usopp order the guy peddling the lift up the cable. These guys need an upgrade on technology.

"Such nice scenery," I heard Zoro's voice say randomly and I smirked under my seat. He wasn't bothered at all.

After a few more minutes I heard Dalton coughing and wheezing in pain. I pressed my ears back against my skull as I heard the sound of something wet coming out of his chest, blood I was guessing.

"MR. DOLTAN!" Vivi yelped in worry.

"I will end this painful tragedy," I heard him say as he gasped for air. "What is history? What is government? What's wrong with giving your heart to the country?"

I heard silence in the air as everyone considered what he had said; even I was silently listening from my place under the set. What did he mean to give his heart to his country?

"Listen up, everyone. When we get to the castle," He said as his coat ruffled as he pulled something out. "I want everyone to stand back."

"DYNAMITE!" A heard someone cry out and my body tensed. He had dynamite on him! He planned to blow himself up! Hell to the no!

"Look!" One of the villagers suddenly broke the atmosphere of shock. "There's someone on the top of the mountain!"

I didn't need to crawl out from under the seat to know that it was Luffy. That's something Luffy would do, I knew it in my gut. That's means the others must be safe… Thank the Gods above.

* * *

><p>As soon as I felt the carriage stop I shot up like a bullet, dashing straight through people's legs before jumping straight over the side. My paws hit a brick walkway and I bolted, running straight up the stairs.<p>

"MAMORI!" I heard Vivi cry after me but I wasn't about to stop. I jumped 3 steps at a time, my shoulder protesting. When I reached the top I pivoted without slowing down and bolted through a walk way straight through the snow and towards the castle.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" I heard a voice screamed out above me causing to skid hastily to a stop, leaving skid tracks in the snow. My head shot up and my one eye widened as I saw that it was Luffy, flying towards the ground like Superman.

"WHAT IS THAT!" Usopp's voice yelped from behind me. It seemed it didn't take them long to get their asses in gear either.

"LUFFY!" Zoro exclaimed shock.

"Mamori! Zoro! Usopp!" Luffy called out as he flew closer to the ground.

Thinking quickly on my feet, I swiftly darted back a few steps, narrowly missing getting taken out by Luffy as he crashed to the ground. Unfortunately Zoro and Usopp didn't move fast enough as a cloud of snow rose around the impact area. I deadpanned as I watched the snow settle. And I thought the villagers had warm welcomes.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Zoro screamed at him as Luffy stood back and brushed the snow off his pants.

"I thought you were one of them because you were wearing their clothes," Luffy said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head While Usopp and Zoro climbed to their feet. "So you're climbing up here to see us? Didn't you say that you don't know how to hike Usopp?"

"Are you kidding me? A man like me can't be stopped by a mountain! Talking about that, this is one tough adventure," Usopp boasted as he stretched.

'_You're telling me,_' I snorted, smirking as I watched them.

"We just used a lift to get here," Vivi interrupted as she came out of the walkway. "By the way, are Nami and Sanji doing okay? We found Mamori on the way here so I was worried."

"Yep! They're fine!" Luffy chirped as he smirked. "And Mamori stayed behind to hold off the idiot king and his men."

"You meet up with them? And you left Mamori to deal with them!" Vivi gasped before shaking her head. "I'm glad the others are okay."

"Mamori held on them off while I got Nami and Sanji to the old witch. She's strong you know. She held them long enough for me to get them safely here," Luffy brushed off Vivi's concern. I felt a bit bad, I didn't really do that much. I could only take one of them out and it was the lapins that held the others off…

"What were you doing on the top of the castle anyway?" Zoro interrupted as he crossed his arms over.

"I just chased that stupid king away," Luffy answered simply as Dalton came stumbling of the walkway.

"So the thing that just flew away was really Wapol!" Dalton yelped at Luffy's words. "What about the other three?"

"Oh, Mamori and that reindeer have already taken care of them. Hey, listen up, we got a new crew member," Luffy called excitedly, much like a giddy kid.

"What?" Usopp suddenly asked.

'_Oh! A new crew member! I wonder who now… I don't remember anything about that. And what's this about a reindeer?_' I hummed to myself.

"A dog and reindeer took care of them…?" Dalton repeated in shock.

Dalton looked to the side and his face dropped in shock causing me to look to the side. My own eye widened slightly as I saw an odd looking reindeer standing against a tree as if trying to hide behind it. He had a pink top hat on his head and a pair of shorts. The oddest thing was the fact he was standing on two legs.

"Blue nose…" Dalton breathed with recognition. "Wait!"

Dalton suddenly dropped to his knees causing me to jump, my gaze swapping to him. He bowed towards the reindeer on his knees and called out, "Thank you very much! I am sure that from now on, Drum Empire will become a better country."

Silence echoed in area as the reindeer and Dalton stared at each other. The rest of us just looked back and forth between them in confusion. In the corner of my eye I saw the village people finally coming out of the walk way as well.

"Ahh! Look!" One man screamed as he spotted the reindeer.

"What is that weird creature!" Another man yelled as they all began to pull out their weapons and aim them at the reindeer like they had done to me before.

"Reindeer? No, it's a monster!" Another one pointed out.

"DON'T DO ANYTHING TO HIM!" Dalton ordered loudly.

"EVIL!" Usopp yelped as his jaw dropped.

I stared on in confusion, not really getting what was going on. The odd reindeer seemed to be startled and took off running away into the tree line.

"YOU IDIOT!" Luffy cried as he swung around and hit Usopp over the head. "He's the new crewman that I talked about! You made him run away!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Usopp screamed.

'…_ A reindeer is the new crew mate… Oh,_' I muttered in shock.

Suddenly Luffy swung around and took off after the reindeer at a full out sprint, yelling, "WAIT FOR ME!"

"AHHH!" The reindeer screamed as he tried to run faster.

Everyone else was left standing there watching after them in confusion and shock; myself included. Luffy had outdone himself this time to knock us for a loop, hasn't he?

"Everyone!" A commanding voice suddenly snapped.

"AHH!" The villagers cried as they jumped, the rest of us spinning around to see some old, oddly dressed lady. "Dr. Kureha!"

"Is everyone okay? Just take all the hurt people inside," She commanded, jerking her thumb towards the castle behind her. "That's means everyone, okay?"

"Y-Yes Ma'am!" The villagers called out around me as I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the old bat.

* * *

><p>"Your condition is really getting worse," The old bat pointed out as she took a swig of her bottle. The villagers that were also crowding the room jumped in shock, obviously not happy to hear what she had to say about Dalton. "Because you worked too hard. By the way Dalton, do you know where the key to the weapon room is?"<p>

"Why? Do you need it?" Dalton asked from his place lying in his bed.

Dalton had been patched up properly and put in a bed to rest. Across the room Nami was also back in her bed. The old witch had also surprisingly taken one look at me and grabbed me by my scruff before dragging me off to get treated as well.

'_Scary old bag,_' I shuddered.

She had patched me up as well, strapping a bandage around my shoulder with a salve and she had also wrapped a bandage around one side of my face to cover the cut just above me right eye. I looked really stupid… But she had been nice enough to make a bed of blankets in the corner of the room for me to rest on, although she had been a bitch after that, giving me a scary look and ordering me to 'Stay'.

"It's none of your business," She snorted as she took another swig of her bottle.

"Wapol always carries that key with him," Dalton said as he sat up in his bed. "I think it flew away with him."

"Really? That's bad," She stated.

"Doctor, I am not going to pay you for treating us," Nami suddenly spoke up. "And can you just let us go to continue our travels now?"

"Are you kidding me? I will take all of your treasure on your ship for the medical expenses," She snorted yet again as she put her hands on her hips. "And you have to stay here for another 2 days."

"That's right Nami! You should stay here until you're cured!" Vivi agreed.

My ears twitched lazily is a laid in my bed of blankets, drowzily watching the world around me. The doctor had given me something that was making me feel so weird…

"I'm really fine now. I'm not lying because I want to die," Nami consoled Vivi with a smile before she pulled out a key and spun it around on her finger. "So, do you really need this weapon room's key?

"How did you get that key?" Dalton exclaimed in shock.

"Is that a real key? What's going on here!" The old bat inquired.

"I'm not lying," Nami reassured them as she continued to smile.

"You're very brave to use this key to negotiate with me," The old bat hissed as she shoved her face right in front of Nami's. "You're not a good girl after all."

"Okay, I will take this key for the medical expenses," She said as she took the key off Nami before turning around and beginning to walk out of the room. "However, as a doctor, I still can't let you go."

"Hey! Wait!" Nami yelped. "Then just give me back my key!"

"Listen to me," She said and she stopped to face the rest of us. "I will go to do something downstairs and I will leave this door open. In that closet there are some of my jackets and no one will be left in this room. Besides, I have already cured that boy. The rest of you follow me. I need your help."

"Yes Ma'am!" They chorused as the trailed out of the room after her.

"I feel that she wants me to get her jacket, take Sanji, and get out of here," Nami said after the rest of the people had left the room.

"That's what I heard too…" Vivi mumbled as she stared after her.

* * *

><p>Vivi and Nami were dragging Sanji along the ground with me trotting behind them, my mind flying off in fairy land somewhat. As we made our way out of the front door we noticed the small reindeer standing in the snow on one side of the grounds. Usopp, Luffy, and Zoro were on the other side, facing the reindeer.<p>

"Chopper…" I heard Nami mutter as she looked at him.

"But I'm a reindeer! I have hooves and horns! I also have a blue nose!" The reindeer yelled at us as the rest of watched quietly. "Actually… I want to be a pirate too, but I'm not human! I'm a monster! I can't be friends with humans! That's why I came here to thanks you! Thank you… For asking me. But I will stay here. If you are bored just come to visit me sometimes!"

'_What the… Can't be friends with humans? Can't be a pirate because he is not human…? I gather no one has told him about me yet,_' I sighed quietly as I watched him sadly. '_If thinks he can't be friends with these guys just because he isn't human, then he is sorely mistaken.._.'

"JUST SHUT UP AND COME WITH ME!" Luffy screamed to the sky as he threw his hands up in the air.

"What a noisy persuasion," Zoro sighed while the rest of us smiled softly at Luffy's simplicity.

"OKAY!" The little reindeer yelled back as he started to bawl his eyes out.

* * *

><p>"Hey, why don't we have to say goodbye to Doctor and that uncle?" Luffy asked Nami as he rolled back and forth atop of his giant snow ball.<p>

"You'd better let Chopper go by himself because it will be a very sad goodbye," Nami told Luffy as we all waited out in front of the castle for Chopper to come back. "Even though the doctor looks scary and mean, she's really a kind person."

"So we are going to leave them without saying good bye?" Usopp questioned.

I gently pressed my paw into the snow as I half listened, watching as the snow around my paws shifted.

"That's right," Nami replied to him. "When Chopper comes back we will go to our ship and head to Alabasta. I hope this is fine with you Vivi."

"Of course as long as we have a doctor with us, I'm okay," Vivi agreed.

"Doctor?" Luffy said, blinking in confusion.

"That's right. I should prepare the lift," Usopp informed us as he walked off towards the walkway. "Luffy, lend me a hand will you?"

"They have a lift? So cool!" Luffy called out.

I gently shifted my paw across the snow, staring in amazement as my paws left a mark in the snow. Something so small seemed to entertain me a great amount as the urge to giggle overcame me.

'_Urgh… The fuck did that old bat give me…?_' I wondered to myself and my senses seem to waver again. '_I think she might have… Drugged me. Slowly I seem to be getting more and more… spacey._'

I groaned and lazily dropped to my side in the snow, not caring as my head also hit the ground. The bandaged side of my face was resting the snow as I stared dizzily at the wall of the castle.

'_Hmm… I wonder how long it took people to build that… How did they get the rocks up here?_' My minded fluttered around to random things as I zoned out again.

* * *

><p>I sluggishly pulled my mind back to me as I heard loud screams, yells, and cries coming from inside the castle. I slowly lifted my head up as the sounds seemed to get louder.<p>

"What's going on inside the castle?" Nami sighed as she put her hands on her hip. "Why can't they just have a quiet goodbye? It's already late."

"He's coming," Zoro commented as we saw him running out of the doorway, running in his proper reindeer form whilst dragging a carriage behind him.

"Eh?" Vivi yelped as he sprinted towards us in a hurry. "What's going on?"

"I'm being chased!" He cried out.

"Hey, we've finished repairing the lift!" Usopp called out as both him both Luffy came out of the walkway.

"Everyone hop on!" Chopper cried at us. "We are going down now!"

"STOP!" The old bat cried out as she came tearing out after Chopper, flinging knives after him.

"WHAT IS THIS!" Everyone else cried out in shock.

'_Oh! It's like that act you see at a circus sometimes where they throw knife at someone pinned to a board!_' I giggled to myself as I climbed to my feet. '_I wanna play!_'

I took a few drunken steps forwards, towards the screaming old bag as I lazily wagged my tail. I felt someone latch onto the back of my neck and yank me back suddenly, scooping me up under his arm like a bag.

"Where the hell do you think you're going Mamori!" Zoro yelled at me as he ran towards Chopper's cart with me.

'_Oh! Oh! Oh! I'm like one of the little rat dogs the prissy girls carry around in their bags! I'm the dog and Zoro's the prissy girl!_' An image of Zoro in a yellow sun dress, pink blush on his cheeks, yellow eye shadow, high heels, and him carrying me around in a big pink bag flashed through my mind. '_... BWHAHAHAHA!_'

* * *

><p>My eye widened in amazement as the pink snow fell all around us, my jaw dropping slightly in awe. We had safety made in down off the mountain in Chopper's cart, although the ride was a bit of a blur while I tried to stop laughing so much and get that image of Zoro out of my mind.<p>

"Wooooah!" Chopper cried out.

"That's cool!" Luffy chirped.

"Yes," Zoro agreed with him.

I watched as a piece of snow floated past my nose, not being able to help myself but to snap out at it, catching it in my muzzle.

'_Fairy floss snow! So pretty! And it's EVERYWHERE! Whoa! Pink snoooooow!_' I chirped as I started to dash around whilst catching more of the pink snow in my mouth. I stumbled around a bit like I was intoxicated, but I couldn't help myself from dashing after them in the snow.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Chopper cried in the background. "WAAAAAAAAH!"

* * *

><p>We had all gotten back to the ship safely and were setting off with the pink snow in the background. Zoro had to drag me all the way there because I wanted to keep catching the pretty snow! Bully!<p>

Everyone around me was partying but my ears seemed almost like they were clogged up, my one eye blurring as my whole body seemed to slow down. I felt like I had a heavy rug thrown over me and I was fighting against it to stay conscious. Apparently whatever the old bat had given me wore off quickly and made me tired as hell.

'_Blah,_' I groaned as I flopped down by Zoro's side, curling into a ball. '_This is why I was always told never to take drugs from shady people…_'

The distant sounds of the partying somehow lulled me to sleep; I wasn't worried about being around such a large group of people that were partying because I knew them all. That, and I was too tired to give a damn.

* * *

><p><strong>Guys, please don't eat me! Mamori didn't get to talk to Chopper this chapter cause she was too drugged off her face to notice him too much. And Chopper was dealing with his own problems, I promise you though, next chapter they will get chatting! No doubt about it. You'll just have to wait another week, sorry guys!<strong>


	30. Strangers Onboard

**Well, finally Mamori talks to Chopper. I'm sure all of you have been waiting for it.**

* * *

><p>"No, nope, no way. I don't know anything about it," Luffy denied as he waved his hand in front of his face whilst looking away and whistling. "Not at all. Not me."<p>

A large grin spread across my muzzle as I watched the scene, relaxing back on my hinds as the boat sailed on.

"Hey, why do you keep looking away? Look straight into my eyes," Sanji told him as he stood in front of Luffy. "Now let me ask you. How is it that the rations for nine that I had saved up to take us to Alabasta suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night?"

Luffy didn't say anything so Sanji knelt down in front of him, gripping his face and tilting it to the side. "Resistance is futile, you'd be a terrible poker player... Hey, there's something around your mouth."

"CRAP! LEFTOVERS!" Luffy yelped as he pulled his head back and used his hands to cover his mouth.

"IT WAS YOU!" Sanji screamed as he kicked Luffy violently across the deck, sending him flying straight by me.

My body shook with silent laughter at the whole ordeal, although this wasn't the drugged up laughter from the night before. This was genuine laughter; the drugs had worn off thankfully. I had woken up a little groggy not long ago but I was fully alert again now.

'_I shall not accept drugs from strangers anymore_,' I vowed to myself for the tenth time.

"Oh, Nami! Can you believe that asshole? You gotta buy me a refrigerator with a lock!" Sanji cooed at Nami.

"…Yeah, I'll think about it. Our lives probably depend on it," She sighed as she looked to the side of the boat.

I noticed that Vivi was also looking that way so I turned my head to see what they were looking at, still only being able to use one eye due to the annoying bandage around my face.

I blinked in confusion as I saw Usopp, Chopper, and the duck on the side of the boat with fishing rods out the side. What's so weird about it? It took me a few more seconds to notice that they were all shaking and look to be chewing as well….

'_Hahaha!_' I giggled. '_Them too? Sanji is going to be pissed_.'

* * *

><p>A few minutes later found Usopp, Chopper, and Carue twitching on the deck, matching bumps on their heads. The rest of us were sprawled around listening as Vivi began to explain something.<p>

"Hero?" Nami questioned her. "Crocodile is the hero of Alabasta!"

"Basically the 'Shichibukai' are pirates working for the World Government," Vivi explained. "Whether the Shichibukai crush pirates for treasure or the Marines crush pirates in the name of justice, the people's gratitude doesn't change. After all, their town's attackers are driven away."

"I get it now…" Sanji muttered. "So the people would never even dream that the hero of Alabasta is actually trying to take control of their country."

"So cut out Crocodile!" Luffy called out as he pumped his fist. "I just need to kick his ass, right!"

"Yes… First we'll stop the rebellion," Vivi confirmed. "If we can drive the Baroque Works out of Alabasta… My country will be saved."

"Wait, hold on," Usopp butted in. "How the heck does this Baroque Works' system work anyways? Mr. this and Miss. that…"

"The system is simple," Vivi told Usopp. "At the top is Crocodile… 'Mr. Zero'. There are thirteen 'agents' who take orders directly from the boss, 12 men and 1 animal. All their names are 'Mr.' plus a number. They are paired with female agents who compliment their particular powers. Mr. Thirteen and Miss. Friday are special in that they punish other agents for failure. All the agents above Mr. Five and up are called 'officer agents'. Most of them have devil fruit powers; they don't act unless that business is extremely important. Below them are the frontier agents, they command the basic units. Their job is to raise funds for the company around the entrance to the Grand Line. That is the secret criminal organization 'Baroque Works' in a nutshell."

My nose crinkled more and more the further she got into the speech. I had a very basic understanding of this already, minus most of the details. While she had been talking I had been quietly glancing at our new crew member, Chopper. After my 'off my face' moment last night I hadn't got to meet him at all. I haven't even had a chance to have my stare off with him.

"I get it now! Look out Crocodile!" Luffy yelled once more as he got excited. "I just need to kick his ass, right!"

"You didn't understand a word she said did you?" Sanji deadpanned.

"Then that means… If the takeover of Alabasta is the Baroque Works' final plan… Then, the 'officer agents' should all be…" Nami started to mumble.

"Yes… They will all be together," Vivi answered for her.

I sighed and shook my head. I didn't see why they were worrying so much about it right now. What will happen, happens. Simple. I gently pushed myself back up to my feet and waddled over to where Usopp and Chopper were, planning to go meet our new crew member.

"Hey Mamori," Usopp greeted me as I sat down in front of him and Chopper, my head inclining in greeting towards them. I then set my one blue eye on the reindeer, watching him eerily as I tried to get a good reading of him.

I saw the sweat breaking out on his head as he wiggled around a bit under my scrutiny.

"H-hello…" Chopper spluttered as he stared at me wide eyed, like he was ready to run any second.

'_He's a bit flighty_,' I snorted to myself as I tried to flash him a smile to reassure him.

"I-I'm not flighty!" Chopper snapped back at me.

My brain came to a screeching halt as I stared awkwardly at him for a few seconds.

'_...Wait… What… Did he read my mind!'_ I yelped as I stared at him, the hairs on the back of my neck rising up slightly.

"I didn't read your mind! You just told me!" He argued much to my shock.

'_O-Oh… Oh. Oh!..._' Was all I could splutter at him as silence echoed between the two of us. I could see Usopp watching us curiously out of the corner of my eye. '_Y-you know what I am saying!… Or thinking… However you look at it…_'

"…Yes…" He answered, unnerved by my reaction.

'_Oh… Oh my…_' I gulped to myself before scurrying nervously up to my feet. I then dipped my head before blubbering, '_I-I'm sorry but I gotta go_!'

With that said I spun around and my heels and scrambled awkwardly away, my mind a flurry with a million thoughts spinning through it at once.

* * *

><p>I pressed my face against the wood of the cabin as the sounds of the waves echoed around me. My breathing was hitched and slightly panicked as I tried to calm myself down a little.<p>

'_Oh no, no, no!_' I moaned as my ears pressed themselves back against my skull. '_This shouldn't be happening! This can't be happening!_'

I squeezed my eyes closed as I tried to control my flow of emotions that were assaulting me.

'_What am I going to do! What will they think if they find out… What happens if I let my old identity slip out in front of Chopper… To them I am just a dog. I act like a dog around them all the time; I've slept over their legs, slept on their beds, licked them, and nipped them! What would they do if they found I used to be human?_' I mentally debated. '_I'm not a human anymore. Mamori and Braylie are like two whole different people… I don't want them to think any different of me or to treat me any different…_'

I gently peeled my head off the wood, casting my gaze out the back of the boat where I was sitting while I watched the blue sea that was spread all around us. My chest heaved with a deep intake of breath before I slowly let it out in a sigh.

'_This is not good…_' I sighed to myself. '_So not good…_'

* * *

><p>It was the day after my freak out; I had hidden from the others for the rest of yesterday and this afternoon. I felt like a huge bitch already. God knows what Chopper thought of me. Or what the others thought over the whole thing. Chopper probably thought I hated him because he was neither human nor animal… A 'monster' as he calls himself. That truly wasn't the case, it was nothing like that. I'm more of a monster for letting him feel that way for my own selfish reasons.<p>

I couldn't bring myself to apologize though. I just couldn't. What if I said something wrong? What would he think of me for being a human in an animal's body? What if the others found out?

A sigh echoed out of my chest as I stuck my head around the corner of the cabin, watching some of the others down on the deck. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all seemed to be giggling about something.

'_What trouble have they gotten themselves into now,_' I sighed gloomily. '_I should really go try and talk to him… What harm could it do? I don't need to tell him anything about myself…_'

I hesitated, my tail dropping listlessly in-between my legs as I mentally battled myself. In the end I slipped back around the corner of the building and went back to hiding somewhere. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

* * *

><p>I felt bad. I felt so, really, really extremely bad and guilty.<p>

It had been just about five days now. Five days since I figured out Chopper could talk and I'd avoided him like a leper for the last few days. Most of the time Chopper seemed to be with the others as well, making me have to avoid them all like lepers as well. I had gotten some odd looks from all of them and they had tried to come to me a few times, but I had the advantage over them. My hearing allowed me to hear them coming from a far distance, giving me enough time to slip away and hide somewhere from their sight.

I felt like a real bitch though, Chopper hadn't done anything to deserve my shunning of him...

'_I shouldn't keep this up…_' I sighed as I rolled over onto my side. '_I need to suck it up… So what if they know? So what if it slips out? There's nothing I can do to change that fact. Mind you, I've been saying that the last five days and it doesn't seem like I am going to do anything any time soon._'

I blinked sadly a few times, the top of the bed I was hiding under swimming in my vision. Yes, I _was _hiding under a bed. A very, very childish thing to do admittedly.

I heard a lot of commotion coming from up on the deck, almost tempting me out of my hiding place. It then went silent for a bit longer before the sound picked up yet again. I crawled out of my hiding place, stalking quietly up to the door as my ears twitched. It sounded like there was a stranger on board… What the?

I jumped up so that my front paws rested on the door handle before I wiggled my paws to twist the door knob and unlatched the door.

The door swung open on the deck to an odd sight. I noticed that everyone was on the deck and there was some odd dude dressed like a swan….

"THIS IS MY POWER!" He cried as he dove towards Luffy. I watched in confusion and anger as he slammed his palm straight into Luffy's face, sending Luffy flying back past me.

"LUFFY!" Everyone on the deck gasped as Zoro and I sprang into action.

"What are you…" Zoro gritted out as he slipped in an attack position, pulling his katana out.

I bolted across the decking as I headed straight for the weird swan guy, my ears flat back as my eye flashed dangerously.

"WAAAIT! WAAAIT! WAAAIT! I told you this was my show!" The swan guy called out in Luffy's voice… No Luffy was wearing his clothes… But Luffy was back behind me…

'_What the fuck is this!_' I snarled as I skidded to a stop in front of the swan version of Luffy, the hairs on my tail standing up as I growled softly.

"What!" I heard Zoro gasp from behind me as he also halted his attack.

"Stooooop joking aroouuuund!" The Luffy version of the swan called out in Luffy's voice.

I was beyond confused now. Why is it that nothing normal can happen on this bloody ship!

"HUH! It's me!" Luffy yelped as he scrambled back up behind me.

"They're identical!" Usopp cried out as he watched from the distance.

"Surprised? Surprised? Gaaahahaha!" Swan Luffy laughed as he touched his face with his left hand as his face changed back. "Touch my left hand and it goes back to normal! This is the power of my 'Mane-Mane' fruit!"

"The voice…" Nami muttered.

"Even the physique was the same!" Usopp pointed out as his jaw dropped.

"Woooah! Cool!" Luffy called out in awe as I continued to growl and eye the new person suspiciously.

"Well, it's not necessary to punch you for it to work," Mr. Swan guy said as he walked around and touched Usopp's, Chopper's, Nami's, and Zoro's faces as well. When he came to me and tried to reach down to touch me, I dodged back out of the way, yanking my head away from him. I then shot forward, snapping my jaws at his fingers but he managed to pull his hand away in time to save himself from a nip.

"Nasty doggy, that was rude…" He muttered at me as he scrutinized me.

'_I'll give you fucking rude_,' I spat back as I pulled back my gums to flash all my teeth quickly at him. '_Who the hell are you!_'

He shook his head and turned back to face the others as his face shifted to between Usopp, Zoro, Chopper, and Nami, "If I just touch your face with my right hand I can imitate anyone just like this!"

"And your bodies too," He said as he yanked open his top while in Nami's form.

'_Sweet mother have mercy!_' I yelped as I swung my head away from him, the sight burning my mind. '_I didn't need to see that!_'

**BANG**

"Stop it!" Nami shrieked as she hit Mr. Swan over the head.

"Ouchie!" He whined as a large bumped showed up on his head after he turned back to normal.

"I'm so sorry but that's all I can show yo-" He started to say but was cut off.

"You're awesome!" Luffy called out as Chopper, Usopp, and himself sat in front of the Swan guy.

"Do some more!" Chopper joined in with Luffy.

"Veeeery well!" He swung. "I've also got perfect memory!"

I noticed that Zoro and Nami had moved aside, the latter sitting down and lying against the boat while Nami just leaned against the railing. I slunk over in their direction, plonking my weight down on my ass as I continued to glare at the Swan guy.

"Every face I've touch…" He said as his face switch between all sorts of different faces. "I've never forgotten one!"

"Ridiculous," Zoro snorted from beside me and a huffed in agreement.

"How do you like my super-special talent!" Mr. Swan sung out as he changed back to himself and spun around. "I never usually show people!"

"COOOL!" Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper all called out.

Next thing I knew, the four had their arms linked over and they were kicking their legs while singing some nonsense tune. I watched them all pissily, my tail slapping against the deck in annoyance. They didn't even know this guy! How could he be safe?

"Someone kill them," Nami hissed as she turned away from the sight before pointing to something on the horizon. "Hey! There's a ship coming this way! Is it yours?"

The swan guy quickly detached himself from the others and sprung neatly up onto the railing as he smiled back down to us.

"Oh me my me, it's time for me to go already! Too bad," He sighed sadly. "Do not be sad my babies! Separation is inevitable. Never forget me!"

"AWWWW!" Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy cried out at his farewell.

"Length of time means nothing to true friendship," He pointed out as tears gathered in the corner of his eyes.

I glanced to the side and shared a deadpan look with Zoro. This was getting beyond ridiculous.

"WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN!" Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp all yelled to him, waving as he jumped back onto his boat.

"Let's go lovies!" The odd swan guy called to his crew as they started to sail off at a fast pace.

"Yes sir!" His crew answered. "Mr. Two Bon Clay, Sir!"

Silence echoed around the deck as everyone seemed to slowly process what his crew just said as they disappeared on the horizon.

"MR. TWO!" Everyone but Vivi and I gasped.

"That was… Mr. Two Bon Clay!" Vivi yelped in shock.

"Vivi!" Luffy called up to her. "You didn't recognize him!"

"No… I've never met Mr. Two or the Mr. One pair," Vivi wailed in despair as she collapsed to her knees. "I didn't know that he had any powers either! But I did hear rumors about him… That he was a huge okama*, talked like an okama, wore a swan coat which had 'Okama way' written on his back…"

"You should have noticed," Usopp, Zoro, and Luffy pointed out bluntly as I shook my head.

"One of those past faces he showed off from memory was my father's!" Vivi cried out. "What in the world… Will he use my father's face to do…!"

"Well, if you got to be ruler, he could definitely do some bad things with it…" Zoro theorized out loud.

"We just let a dangerous guy get away," Usopp felt like adding, as if we didn't already know that.

"He was our enemy…?" Chopper finally asked in confusion.

"Well… He will be dangerous if he turns into an enemy!" Nami said. "Assuming he finds out we're his enemies. If he uses his memory to turn into one of us… We won't be able to trust each other."

'_And that is why I didn't let the creeper touch me…_' I sighed to myself although I saw Chopper throw me a glance out of the corner of my eye.

"Really?" Luffy asked, dumbfounded.

"Wait a minute," Zoro interrupted with a smirk. "She may have a point, but there's no need to be afraid of him. I think we're lucky that we met him. Now we can use counter-measures."

* * *

><p>Everyone on the deck was being loud again, but that was nothing unusual around this ship. But this time something felt wrong so with a sigh I crawled out under the kitchen table and walked up to the door.<p>

Jumping up on my back legs I opened the door again like last time, pushing it open and walking around to bow of the ship where everyone else was.

I mentally deadpanned at what I saw. There were at least a dozen marine ships on the horizon.

"Alright! L-Let's shoot 'em down with the cannon!" Usopp declared as he pointed at them.

"No, it would be faster to go over there and kick their asses!" Luffy objected, waving his arms. "No wait, I need to eat first!"

"Stop getting so worried, they're nothing," Zoro interrupted them, leaning back against the railing.

"Yeah, all of us lost sight of out true objective. There's only nine of us," Sanji started to explain

I looked around, a bit confused as to what was going on. I needed to stop hiding so much and get more involved in things.

* * *

><p>"So tie them on tight," Zoro instructed as he used his teeth to pull the bandage on his arm tighter.<p>

Everyone else was back on the main deck around the mast, tying their own bandages on their arms. For me it was on my front leg, I had gotten Nami to tie it on for me after she took off my other bandages. I have a small scar above my eye from the cut, but my vision was fine.

"I see…" Vivi hummed as she looked at her own bandage.

"As long as we can see these, we don't need to doubt each other," Nami said with a smile at our plan.

"Does he really look like us that much?" Sanji asked, having not been out on the deck when the swan guy came aboard. "When he does that 'Mane Mane Fruit' thing…"

"He doesn't _look_ like us," Usopp snorted. "He _is_ us. Too bad, you really should have seen it."

"I'm not interested in okamas," Sanji snorted as he lit a smoke.

"Now that we know he's among the enemy we can't allow for any careless individual actions," Zoro pointed out and I flinched in guilt. I know for a fact that the tension between Chopper and myself had not gone unnoticed and if I kept up that attitude I currently have it could get us in trouble.

"Hey, what should I do!" Chopper questioned Zoro, much like an eager puppy.

"Just do what you can, nothing else," Usopp lectured, making a pose. "Run away from enemies you can't beat! Just do your best!"

"You're just telling that to yourself," Sanji sighed.

"Quack!" Carue agreed with Usopp.

"What I can do… Got it!" Chopper concluded. I fought the urge to deadpan; Usopp was already corrupting poor Chopper.

'_If you run into any trouble we'll help you, just ask. You don't have to do it all yourself, we all seem to work better as a team_,' I said shyly after a short moment of hesitation.

Chopper jumped when I addressed him, spinning around to look at me with wide, shocked eyes.

"O-Okay," He stuttered as he continued to stare.

"Did Mamori say something to you?" Usopp asked Chopper, looking back and forth between us.

"Y-Yeah… She said that if I run into any trouble you guys will help me if I ask…" He replied nervously, still shocked about me talking to him.

Usopp looked at me with wide eyes before recovering and declaring, "That's right! Captain Usopp with save any of his followers if they need it! What real man wouldn't?"

I deadpanned again before slithering over to Zoro and sitting beside him. I think I'd said enough for now… At least I was being friendly.

"We're coming up to the harbor," Nami announced. "Let's stop in that inlet to the West. We have to hide the ship."

"Okay! Whatever happens from now on, this left arm…" Luffy started to say as everyone got up and moved into a circle on the deck, putting their left arm into the circle. Chopper and I both jumped up onto a crate as I sat back in a begging position and stuck my left leg awkwardly out. "Is proof of our friendship. Now! Let's go onto dry land! TO A RESTAURANT! Then to Alabasta!"

"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!" Nami screamed in reply causing me to sigh.

* * *

><p>"What should we do? Nanohana is a large town," Vivi question us all as we stood around the front of the boat, finally in solid ground again. As soon as the boat had docked Luffy had took off before we had so much as had time to blink and he started screaming about food while he ran off. Idiot. "It will be very hard to search for Luffy!"<p>

"Don't worry Vivi, we'll just look for the noisiest spot in town and he'll be there," Sanji consoled her and I mentally laughed at how accurate his statement was.

"Haha!" Usopp laughed as well. "You got that right!"

"Anyways," Nami interrupted. "I wish he would pay more heed to the bounty on his head, especially in a big country like this."

"Just let him take care of himself," Zoro butted in. "Let's go eat. We can think things through after that."

"Wait!" Vivi gasped, indicating to another ship hidden in the cove. "That's Mr. Three's ship!"

"What!" Some of the others yelped as I stared suspiciously at it.

"Hold on… You mean he's not dead…!" Usopp mumbled.

"That ship can only move through the power of the Doru Doru* fruit. He must be in the kingdom," Vivi explained.

"All the more reason to hurry up and get Luffy and food supplies," Nami sighed. "But if Mr. Three is anywhere around here someone should watch the boat."

Zoro's eyes automatically flicked over to me and the others eyes followed him. I twitched, glowering at the green haired man. Really! They were going to try and leave me behind again?

"Please Mamori?" Nami cooed, clasping her hands together.

I glanced to the side, avoiding her gaze as I sweat dropped.

"Please?" She asked again and I audibly sighed before turning my gaze towards Chopper.

'_Tell them I'll do it, please_,' I asked him, still a bit unnerved about being able to talk to someone else. '_But they'd better bring me back something to eat and they'd better not get in too much trouble._'

With that said I quickly spun around and trotted up to the boat, easily launching myself off the ground and back up into it. I heard Chopper conveying my message in the background as I found a comfortable spot on the front deck where I could watch for any people coming towards the boat.

I listened lazily as they left, finally giving me a chance to think to myself again.

'_So… Things are going to blow up soon again it seems_,' I sighed to myself. '_I can hardly remember anything about this whole arc… And nothing after it has finished. I only remember sand, lots of it. Heat, desert, Crocodile, huge crocodiles, and something about some birds. All the facts that I can recall are really vague, leaving a lot to my imagination. I'm very useful, no?_'

* * *

><p>"Hurry up! The marines are coming!" I heard a loud voice call out, causing me to snap to attention. I quickly scrambled up to my feet, stumbling a bit as I woke up from my nap. "Get on and raise the anchor!"<p>

"Man! I never thought I'd meet Ace here!" I heard Luffy muse to himself.

I braced my paws against the railing of the ship as I started at them all with wide eyes, confusion clouding my mind.

Most of the crew seemed to scramble back up into the boat, issuing orders quickly as they tried to set sail quickly. I flicked my gaze around them all; not fully understanding what was going on yet.

My attention was snagged by Vivi and Carue who had yet to board the ship; it looked like the two were talking about something. I caught a few words like 'father', 'desert' and 'Alabasta'. Vivi then handed Carue a note and I watched as Carue took off running away from the ship.

My confusion doubled as I attempted to kick start my sleep clogged brain, but I was interrupted when I noticed Usopp struggling to tie to some of the ropes. With a jumbled shake of my head I pushed away from the railing and ran over to Usopp.

* * *

><p>"Brother! That guy back there was your brother!" Usopp yelped as we all stood before Luffy.<p>

"Yep, he's my brother!" Luffy chirped as he perched on the railing.

"Well I'm not surprised you have a brother," Zoro admitted as he stood before Luffy. "But what is he doing out on the Grand Line?"

I tilted my head, waiting for Luffy's reply. I remember something about a guy called Ace that was Luffy's brother… But the name was the only thing I knew.

"He's a pirate," Was Luffy's reply. "He's looking for One Piece. Ace is three years older than me so he left the island 3 years earlier."

"What are the odds of both of you having Devil Fruit powers?" Sanji snorted, shaking his head.

"I know! I was surprised too! Haha!" Luffy laughed as Usopp also shook his head.

The thought of Luffy's brother scared me actually. I don't think I could keep up with two of Luffy… Lord help the world.

"He hadn't eaten one before," Luffy claimed. "Even then, I could never beat him in a fight. Ace is really strong!"

"Not even once? Against a regular human!" Nami yelped.

"The monster's brother must be one hell of a monster," Usopp theorized.

"Yeah! I always got my ass kicked!" Luffy laughed.

'_I don't think that's something to brag about Luffy,_' I sighed to myself before jumping a bit when I remembered about Chopper, glancing to the side. I meet Chopper's eyes as he watched me curiously, jumping when I looked at him too. He quickly looked away and I done the same. Things between us were going to be a bit awkward for a while I see…

"But I could beat him now!" Luffy added on.

"That's a groundless statement," Zoro pointed out.

"Who…" An airy voice asked for seemingly nowhere causing me to jump up to all four feet with a start. Suddenly a youngish man landed on the railing besides Luffy, causing him to fall off. He was wearing only a pair of shorts and an odd, orange cowboy hat. My hackles went up straight away at the sight of a stranger on the boat, causing me to take a step forward with a soft growl. These kinds of things never ended well. "Can you beat?"

"Woah!" Luffy yelped. "ACE!"

'_This is his brother?_' I asked myself, taking a step back on dropping off my growling. I kept a careful eye on the stranger though.

"Yo," Ace addressed us casually causing me to blink.

"Hey everyone, thanks for taking care of my brother," He added after a second, bowing his head.

"No kidding," The others around me bowed back to him, but I stayed where I was, still watching him warily, yet curiously.

"So why are you here Ace?" Luffy asked him rudely causing me to notice the differences in the manners department between these two brothers.

"Huh? Didn't you get my message in Drum?" Ace asked him.

"Drum?" Luffy questioned.

"Ah, never mind. No biggie," Ace shrugged it off. "Anyways, I'm glad I saw you. I'm here for a little task. I figured I'd try to meet up with you. Luffy… Will you come join the 'Whitebeard Pirate Crew'? With your friends of course."

I folded my ears back against my skull as I glared at Ace. Not only did he invite himself on board, he suddenly tries to get us to join another pirate crew. He has some manners but not all of them I see.

"No way," Was Luffy's blunt reply causing my muzzle to twitch as the urge to smirk washed over me.

"Ahahaha," Ace laughed in good nature. "I just thought I'd ask."

"Whitebeard?" Usopp gulped. "So that mark on your back is real?"

"Yes, it's my pride and joy!" Ace nodded. "Whitebeard is the greatest pirate that I've ever known. I want to make him the Pirate King… Not you Luffy."

"That's okay!" Luffy replied. "I'll just fight him!"

Ace was silent for a second, but he was still smirking before Sanji suddenly asked, "Why don't you come inside if you want to talk? I'll make you some tea."

"Oh no, don't worry about me," Ace said, waving his hand. "This'll only take a minute."

"Those Marines haven't come after us at all," Nami suddenly commented.

"Yeah, I threw them off track with my Mera Mera* power," Ace admitted before throwing a piece of paper at Luffy. "Here, I wanted to give you this."

"Huh?" Luffy muttered, looking at the paper in his hands.

"Always keep that with you!" Ace insisted.

"It's a piece of paper," Luffy stated the obvious, causing me to laugh.

"Yup," Ace replied, not even phased. "That paper will let us meet again."

"Wow…" Luffy said.

"Don't you want it?" Ace questioned.

"No! I do!" Luffy claimed.

"Having a dumb little brother makes an older brother worry," Ace stated causing me to shake my head. I think I do enough worrying about him for at least 5 people, so Ace shouldn't have to worry too.

I decided to make a silent statement so I walked forward to stand beside Luffy before reaching over and rubbing my head against the outside of his thigh. Luffy's hand reached down automatically to pet the top of my head as everyone's attention switched to me. I kept my head rested against Luffy's leg, my sharp blue eyes staring at Ace. I kept my face as straight as I could as Ace surveyed me. After a few minutes her smirked at me before looking back to Luffy.

"Well Luffy, it seems like you have some loyal companions that really do look after you but he probably gives you guys a lot of troubles too. Take care of him for me," After Ace had finished his sentence he jumped off the railing and off the side of the boat causing me to bolt forward, my front feet on the railing within seconds as Luffy came up beside me. I saw some little boat tied to the side of the Going-Merry and Ace was perched on that.

"What!" Luffy yelped. "You're leaving already!"

"Yep," Ace replied.

"You can chill out here a little longer! I haven't seen you in so long!" Luffy protested.

"I told you, I only came to do that," Ace said as he secured a rope on his boat. "I'm chasing a major criminal right now. He's been calling himself 'Blackbeard' lately but he originally used to be a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, and my subordinate. He committed the worst possible crime on a pirate ship… 'Killing a crew mate'. I'm the Commander so I have to finish him off. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't be back here in this part of the sea. The next time we meet will be at the pirate's summit."

I flicked my ears as everyone else behind us muttered things but I kept my eyes on Ace as he set sail, waving as he pulled away from Going-Merry.

"See ya!" Luffy called out as he waved. After Ace disappeared from sight Luffy stepped back from the railing and I did the same. The others quickly got into a conversation about where we were going next but I trotted off, ready for another nap before we got anywhere.

* * *

><p>*Okama is the Japanese word for a male cross dresser.<p>

*Mane Mane Fruit: Paramecia class. "Mane" literally means "imitation" but labeled as "Clone Clone Fruit" in the official Subs and Dubs.

*Wax Wax Fruit: Paramecia class. Derived from the Japanese word for candle, "kyandoru".

*Mera Mera fruit: Logia class. Named after the sound of fire when it burns, it's called the Flare Flare (4Kids and FUNimation Sub) or Flame Flame (Viz and FUNimation Dub) fruit.

**Beta Read by praeses**


	31. Perverted Camel

"We made it!" Luffy declared. "YUBA!"

My nose crinkled in distaste at how dry the place was as we all stood looking at it. It was so hot you could just about taste the heat of the sun… So not good for a dog. We had reached Yuba and jumped off the boat only to find lots of sand, sun, heat and some ruins.

"Wait a minute…" Luffy said slowly. "There's nothing here. Let's look for the leader! Where is he?"

"No Luffy, this isn't Yuba," Vivi sighed. "We still have to walk Northwest for a day through the desert."

"Half a day!" Usopp yelped, my feelings matching his.

"Look at the map," Vivi said as she pulled out a map. "We crossed the Sandora River and we just landed here at Erumalu, the Green Town."

"The Green Town? But there's nothing green around here," Luffy stated.

"Not anymore," Vivi admitted.

Suddenly an odd looking creature popped out of the ground causing me and a few others to jump. It looked like an odd seal of some sort.

"Woah! What the hell is that!" Usopp yelled. "A seal!"

"Kuo!" It cried, pumping its fist as I blinked in confusion.

"A Kung Fu Dugong!" Vive gasped. I was way off then.

"Kung fu?" Usopp snorted as she got into a fighting stance.

"No, Usopp! Get away from it!" Vivi warned him as I sighed. Good on Usopp, he goes and picks a fight with the thing.

Out the corner of my eye I saw another one of them charging at me causing me to spin around and face off with it. It lunged at me with a right hook that I easily ducked under, tucking my head in as I slammed it under the jaw with the top of my head. With a cry it fell backwards and the next one came at me from behind. Where they all came from, I had no idea.

"It's a kung fu dugong's law is that the loser of a fight becomes the winner's student," I heard Vivi say in the background but it was too late.

I decided to try out a new trick, so without turning around I kicked much like a horse would, my two back feet shooting out to nail the dugong on the forehead. Another one bit the dust.

I looked, waiting to see if anymore would come at me but then I noticed how many were crowding around Luffy so I figured he'd dealt with the rest. I turned my attention to the two that I had knocked down as they got back up.

I blink owlishly as they both bowed at me causing me to tilt my head to the side. I jumped when the two dugongs straightened up and copied my motion.

'_Oh my God…_' I gaped.

I decided to test what they would do so I shook my head back and forth a few times, smirking as they did the same. I then dropped to the ground, rolling onto my back before sticking my legs up in the air. I burst out mentally laughing as they did the same as me.

"Mamori! Stop playing with them, we have to leave!" Nami scolded me.

I reluctantly left them, running to catch up with the others as Vivi started to talk about the lack of water in Alabasta. I could already feel the heat getting to me though so I tuned her out as I tried to control my temperature, my tongue lolling out the side of my mouth already.

* * *

><p>I quickly started to lag behind the others as I developed a headache due to my body already starting to overheat. I was snapped out of my self-centered thoughts when I noticed Vivi was having one of 'those' moments.<p>

I trotted forward to where she was kneeling in the sand just as she screamed, "WHAT RIGHT DOES HE HAVE TO DO THOSE THINGS! I WILL NEVER LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

With that said Vivi hunched over, trying not to cry. I quickly jumped forward, slipping under her as she wrapped her arms around my neck, holding on tightly.

After a few moments I was snapped back to the present as Luffy declared, "Let's move forward already. I'm anxious now!"

* * *

><p>It only took about another hour for the heat to finally take its toll on me. I was panting heavily and completely spaced out. My paws felt blistered thanks to the hot sand and every step I took was a struggle.<p>

One second I was dragging my feet along, lagging behind the others with Chopper, who was also struggling in the heat, and the next second I found myself face first in the ground.

The whole world seemed to spin around me, my legs going completely numb as my head pounded.

"Ah! Mamori!" I heard what sounded like Chopper yelp and I heard him scurry over to my side.

I tried to push myself back up to my feet to save myself the embarrassment of not being able to take the heat but as I started to rise, my vision completely turned black and bile rose in the back of the my throat. My legs then gave out on me as I swallowed down the vomit. I curled my body into a little ball as I heard echoing voices all around me.

After an uncountable amount of time I felt everything around me spin in circles, it felt like that ground has disappeared out from under me. I felt something rumble against my side as the voices continued to swim around in a confusing jumbled of sounds. Vaguely I recognized that someone had picked me up.

I wasn't sure how long after that I felt that person put me on something solid, but that didn't stop the spinning I was feeling. I groaned, trying to curl into a tighter ball as I tried to stop myself from throwing up.

* * *

><p>Time seemed to be malfunctioning all of a sudden. Everything would go really fast and then the next second it would go really slow. Everything around me was a still a blur but I could have sworn at one stage someone forced some water down my throat and at another stage I heard Chopper next to me on the flat surface that seemed to be moving. I couldn't tell if it actually was or not because I was that out of it. Not long after that my body started shivering and twitching of its own accord and there was nothing I could do to stop it.<p>

At one stage everything seemed to finally stop moving and I finally seemed to be cooling down, allowing me to drift into a deep sleep. I was having a lovely nap until something caused me to wake up.

**BANG**

Something plush slammed into the side of my head causing my eyes to snap open straight away. The scene before me had my anger rising beyond a tolerable level. The room had gone silent, most of the guys glancing my way while gaping. In their grasp were pillows, not including the pillows that were strewn across the room. One of the pillows laid next to me, obviously the culprit of waking me up and damn it, I did not want to be awake! I noticed in the back of my mind that I was lying on the nice cool ground in the corner of the room, thus I cooled down. My head was still pounding though, my stomach churning. I was NOT impressed and I dare say by the deadly aura I was giving off everyone else got the idea.

"Ahh! You're awake!" Chopper yelped as he scurried over to my side. "Thank God! I was so worried, you got really bad heat exhaustion and I-"

'_Who. The. Fuck. Threw. That. Pillow,_' I cut him off, a growl growing in my chest I glared at all the guys in room.

"Uh…" Chopper stuttered as he glanced between the other guys and me, he was obviously not sure what he'd rather deal with. Putting up with a pissed off me or dealing with what I did to the person who threw the pillow when I found out.

"Hehe…" I heard a voice laugh sheepishly and my glare shifted to Usopp who was rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry that pillow hit you Mamori…"

Usopp. That bastard! I should have guessed. It would have been either him or Luffy. I narrowed my eyes, directing a glare that could have withered a prune towards Usopp who was now sweating greatly.

'_Tell them all that if anyone else throws another pillow or wakes me up I will grab the closest stick and shove it so far up their ass it will come out of their mouth_,' I paused as I switched my gaze back to Chopper and as an afterthought I added. '_Please._'

I don't even remember placing my head back on the ground before I fell back asleep.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry for acting so disgracefully Vivi," The old man in front of us apologized.<p>

"No, don't worry," Vivi replied. "We're going now Mr. Toto."

My ears flicked lazily as I laid on the wooden raft behind Zoro. My headache still hadn't left me and Chopper didn't want to risk my health any further so I had been order to get back on the raft that I had apparently been dragged on yesterday. I was on strict orders by the doctor not walk or stress myself out at all. Great.

"Yes…" Mr. Toto mumbled as he walked up to Luffy and handed over a small carton. "Luffy, please take this."

"WOW! WATER!" Luffy cried out as he gaped at it. "You got some!"

"Right after you fell asleep digging last night we made it to the water level. I managed to squeeze out the water and distill it," Mr. Toto told Luffy.

"Wow!" Luffy called out. "Sounds difficult! Thanks, I'll drink it carefully!"

* * *

><p>Because I was lazing about and being dragged along, I noticed when Luffy fell back and stopped as he sat down and leaned against a tree. I blinked owlishly and then glanced back at Zoro who was dragging me, letting out a grunt as I jerked my head in Luffy's direction to let Zoro know what I meant.<p>

"Hey! What are you doing!" Usopp called out to him when he noticed too.

Luffy just scowled and said nothing.

"What's wrong Luffy?" Vivi gasped in worry.

"I quit," Luffy said simply which cause my brows to furrow. He what?

"You quit! What do you mean Luffy?" Vivi cried out as I stood up, jumping off the raft.

"We don't have time for your stupid games now, Luffy!" Nami yelled at him as we all made our way back over to him. "Get up now!"

"We're going back," Luffy replied.

"Yeah, we're using the road we took yesterday to go and stop the rebellion. If one million citizens of the country clash it's all over!" Sanji cried out. "This is for Vivi! C'mon, let's go!"

"Boooring," Luffy whined as I stared at him, trying to get the whole point to this.

"What did you say!" Sanji roared.

"Vivi," Luffy called.

"What?" Vivi answered unsurely.

"I want to beat the crap out of Crocodile!" Luffy declared. "If we stop the guys who are rebelling will that stop Crocodile? We can't do anything even if we go to this place. We're pirates. You'd be better off without us."

"Sometimes he hits the bullseye without even thinking," Sanji sighed and I grunted in agreement.

"That's Luffy for you," Usopp agreed.

"Well…" Vivi stuttered.

"You just don't want anyone to die in this war!" Luffy theorized. "There are people in your country, or us, or anyone! You're talking about a fight against one of the Shichibukai, in which over a million people will battle and all you want is for no one to die! That's naïve."

"Stop it Luffy! Can't you think of Vivi's feelings!" Nami started to scold him.

"Wait, Nami…" Sanji interrupted as he held her back.

"What's wrong with that!" Vivi cried out. "What's wrong with not wanting people to die!"

"People die," Was Luffy's reply.

I watched with wide eyes as Vivi lunged forward, slamming her fist across Luffy's cheek which threw him across the ground.

"SPOT TALKING LIKE THAT!" She screamed. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT AGAIN! THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO STOP! YOU CAN'T BLAME THE REBELS OR THE ARMY FOR THIS! WHY SHOULD ANYONE DIE! THIS IS ALL CROCODILE'S FAULT!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU RISKING YOUR LIFE!" Luffy yelled back in rage as he swung his fist and caught Vivi across the face. I folded my ears back against my skull in worry, not sure what to do but I knew I should not interrupt them.

"THAT'S GOING TOO FAR LUFFY!" Usopp yelled out.

"DAMNIT LUFFY!" Sanji swore.

"EVEN I CAN TELL WHAT THIS COUNTRY NEEDS THE MOST JUST BE LOOKING AT IT!" Luffy cried out as he and Vivi tumbled around on the ground, throwing punches left and right.

"WHAT!" Vivi screeched in reply.

"YOU THINK RISKING YOUR LIFE IS ENOUGH!" Luffy objected loudly and Vivi continued to punch him.

"THEN WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO RISK!" Vivi argued. "THERE'S NOTHING ELSE I HAVE TO…"

She was cut of short as Luffy grabbed the front of her robe, stopping her for a second he yelled, "WHY DON'T YOU TRY RISKING OUR LIVES TOO! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS!"

Vivi gasped, bringing up her hand to cover her mouth as tears leaked out of her eyes.

"Look at you," Luffy sighed as Vivi pulled her hood over her head to try and hide her tears. "You're crying. You're the one who wants to kill him the most. Tell me where Crocodile is."

* * *

><p>I was twitching as I was laying on the raft and getting pulled along. The creepy camel kept glancing at me and I had no idea what it wanted.<p>

'_What the hell do you want?_' I finally snapped, still in a bad mode. I was so grumpy because not only was I hot, I was also tired, sick, had a headache and felt like a tool at having to be dragged along like this. I was not a happy puppy.

It looked at me for about a minute before shaking its head and looking away. I glared at it but glanced to the side when I noticed Chopper drop back beside me, walking in his reindeer form.

"Can you not understand him?" Chopper questioned me.

'_Huh? Should I be able to?_' I replied, blinking. What the hell was he talking about, animals don't talk.

"Whenever he talks to you, you don't reply or even act like you never heard it… I was checking that you weren't deaf or anything," Chopper mumbled.

'_It… He... Talks_?' I asked, scrunching up my nose as I tried to comprehend what he was saying.

"Of course he talks! All animals talk if they want to! You act like you haven't talked to anyone before!" Chopper pointed out.

'_I… I haven't talked to anyone. I was not aware that they… You… Us… We... Speak_,' I mumbled, stumbling over my words as my brain processed it.

"What! Impossible!" Chopper gasped. "I've never meet anyone like you before! Of course we can all talk! So that's why you were so shocked when I understood you back on the boat…"

I ducked my head, feeling shameful that I came off like a simpleton to Chopper. How was I meant to know everyone else was in on this whole talking business but me?

'_How do I… Talk?_' God, it sounded so stupid when I asked.

"I'm surprised no one taught you how to talk when you were a pup," Chopper noted with a frown.

'_That's… A story for another day_,' I snorted, unsettled at how quickly he got to what I was trying to hide from him for now.

He sent me a curious glance before shrugging, "Well, I can try and teach you to talk. It's better late than never."

'_Thank you!_' I said, smiling at him. This could help a lot!

"There's nothing really complicated to it; not if you listen anyway," He started to lecture and I settled my head back down on the wood because I could tell this could be a long lecture. Jeez, so much for trying to get rid of my headache. This will not help.

* * *

><p>I had been right, after a few hours of chatting I think I got the point to it all. Chopper was a great teacher. I had wanted to get up and go practice with the camel, but Chopper and had objected and threatened to pin me down if I didn't stay where I was. Instead he got the camel to come to me.<p>

I knew the others had listened in to bit and pieces of our conversation but hadn't said anything. I think they were still wary over last night's saga and didn't want to push any of my buttons.

I glanced to the camel as it walked alongside me, Chopper on the other side of me with a big smile.

'_Hello…_' I said uneasily.

I then did as Chopper instructed me. I closed my eyes and listened with my gut. I heard something fuzzy buzzing in the back of my mind and it seemed to have a masculine feel to it. After a few seconds the fuzzy disappeared causing me to open my eyes and glance at the camel again. He was looking at my expectantly and I shook my head.

'_Could you repeat that please?_' I asked softly, thankful for his help and I didn't want to scare him off.

I closed my eyes and as soon as I felt that fuzzy feeling I snagged onto it and dove my concentration into it as the words become clear and echoed in my head.

'…_I… You smell nice… And you..._' The words were broken and staticky but I got the basics of it.

'_I heard him!_' I cried out victoriously as I snapped my eyes open and looked at Chopper.

"Yay!" Chopper joined in with my celebration.

'_But I don't get what he said… He said something about me smelling nice… Is that normal talk for animals?_' I asked him.

"Uh…" Chopper said nervously. "Not really… He's just a pervert."

I stared at him for a few second as it sunk in before I groaned loudly and dropped my head onto the wood that was dragging me along. My first conversation and I got hit on a pervert camel! Great. I don't think I wanna be Dr. Dolittle anymore.

* * *

><p>"That's Rainbase!" Vivi called out and I opened my eyes, lifting my head up to see a city on the horizon. Finally!<p>

"We made it!" Luffy called happily. "YES! CROCODILE! YOUR ASS IS GRASS!"

"Shut up already," Zoro sighed.

Seeing that Chopper wasn't looking, I finally got off the raft I was on, stretching my legs and arching my back. I saw Usopp giving Nami her new weapon out of the corner of my eye, causing me to smirk.

"Hey, do you think the Baroque works knows we're here in this country?" Zoro asked Vivi.

"Probably," She admitted. "We met Mr. Two and we know Mr. Three is here, so I think we should assume they know we're here."

"So what?" Luffy asked.

"They know our faces so no random acts," Usopp hissed at Luffy.

"How come?" Luffy complained.

"We have no idea where the Baroque works fighters could be hiding. There's no way we could get to Crocodile first if we're caught," Usopp explained.

"Assassination is their specialty," Zoro reminded us as I walked along beside him.

"OKAY! CROCODILE! YOU ASS IS GRASS!" Luffy cried again.

"WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!" Usopp yelled as he smacked Luffy over the back of the head.

"But Usopp," Vivi interrupted. "I agree with Luffy! Everything is about to happen. We don't have time to think."

* * *

><p>"Should we really have let them do it?" Sanji sighed as he glanced around the town. When we had gotten into town some genius had sent Luffy and Usopp off to get water. We were now waiting around from them to get back.<p>

"It's only an errand," Nami pointed out. "They can do it."

"I wonder… You don't think they'll come back with trouble?" Zoro asked and I grunted, my head laying on his leg. I didn't trust them. "Maybe we should be prepared for that."

"CRAP!" Sanji called out suddenly. "The Marines are chasing them!"

"Are you kidding!" Nami screamed as we all jumped to our feet. "Why are they running over here then!"

"Wait! Chopper isn't back yet!" Vivi pointed out, talking about how Chopper had gone off to 'take a whizz' as he phased it.

"Leave him, he'll be fine," Zoro said.

"Hey guys! The Marines are coming!" Luffy called out as he caught up with us and we all ran.

"YOU BROUGHT THEM OVER HERE!" Zoro yelled in reply.

"This isn't good!" Nami pointed out. "Running around like this will help Baroque Works spot us!"

"I think it's too late," Zoro said with gritted teeth as I ran by his side, dodging around the citizens as we ran through them. Zoro cleared a pretty good path, so it was easy to follow him.

"Let's go then!" Luffy called out. "To where Crocodile is!"

"Over there!" Vivi pointed out. "That building with the crocodile on top…That's the casino that Crocodile owns, 'Rain Dinners'."

"We should scatter," Sanji pointed out as we ran.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed.

"Okay!" Luffy joined in. "We'll meet back up at Croc's house!"

And with that said everyone scattered different ways like rabbits. I feinted to the side, darting straight through a marine's legs before bolting straight to an alleyway. Once in the alleyway I jumped on a bin, launching myself onto a roof quickly.

I used that roof to run away from all the Marines so that I had a clear path. The houses were close together so it was easy to jump across them. Now I just need to get together with the others… To Croc's place we go.

After a few minutes of house jumping I had lost any marines that had followed me. They must have given up easy because I was only a dog, not a human. They really didn't see me as that big of a threat.

Now… I should get out of the open before the Baroque Workers find me, I was a sitting duck like this.

I dove off the side of the building I was in, landing between two houses. The shade that it provided was very much welcome as I slowed my pace down from a sprint to a trot.

I trotted through some back streets for a while, slowly noticing that I was being watched. I couldn't tell from where or who was watching me though. It had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.

I got sick of it soon, dropping back into a sitting position on my ass, glancing around to see if they'd come out or not.

"Hmm, my, my, you've gotten better brat," A voice laughed, more mockingly then encouragingly. I glanced to the side and I saw the blue coated man step out from the shadows. I did nothing, I only glancing at him.

"It took you a while to notice me though, you should really work on that," He sighed as I twitched, frowning at him. "Wondering why I am here? Well, you're about to face the biggest challenge you'll have to face so far. I've come here to tell you not to die, yet."

I quirked an eyebrow in his direction. Like I didn't know that that. But, why does he care if I live or die?

He drew something out of his pocket and threw it towards me. I watched blankly as a pure red rose landed near me and rolled to my paws. I blinked, looking back to him in confusion.

'_What in the hell…_' I asked myself.

"Trust me, it'll temporarily help you," The cloaked guy said.

He had yet to lead me astray, so I scooped the rose up in my muzzle, careful of its thorns and I slipped it into my bandanna so that the top poked out. The obnoxious aroma of the rose tickled my nose but I ignored it.

I dipped my head in thanks again as he turned his back to me and started to walk away.

"Remember. Do not die," He called over his shoulder, turning the corner.

I didn't to have to go check around the corner to know that he was already gone. He moved like a ghost and he was long gone within seconds.

I shook my head and set off at a trot again, trying to figure out the rose.

* * *

><p>When I got to the front of Crocodile's place I stumbled to a stop, staring wide eyed as I saw all the guards laying around the place, Chopper standing among them. I blinked owlishly as he knocked the last of them over.<p>

"I'M MR. PRINCE!" Chopper cried out.

I shook my head and trotted forward just as he turned his attention to me.

"Mamori!" Chopper greeted me. "The others have been caught by Crocodile; Sanji has gone in to save them so I'm being a decoy."

'_Shit…_' I swore. '_The others were caught? Wait a pain… I should have gotten here sooner. I should probably go after Sanji._'

"But the entrance has already been sealed," Chopper informed me. "You'll have to play decoy with me."

I sent him a withering glance to let him know that I was not happy, '_What's the plan then?_'

* * *

><p>"Now!" Chopper whispered to me once Crocodile had noticed us and we both took off running. I stayed right at Chopper's heels at the coat fluttered around him.<p>

I had wanted to go after Sanji but Chopper pointed out that I wouldn't be able to get in or blend in being a dog and all. I had agreed unhappily. Now Chopper and I were both being used as decoys while we left Sanji to get the others out.

Once Chopper was sure he was out of sight he transformed back into his small form, trying to act casual. I ducked in the nearest alleyway, hiding behind a bin as I watched Chopper from a distance to make sure he was okay.

I tensed up as Crocodile walked past Chopper while muttering to himself.

"Where are you hiding?" He hissed. "I will find you and I will kill you…"

My lips twitched of their own accord, peeling themselves back over my teeth. Oh how I wanted a piece of Crocodile. I was not stupid though… I would never be able to take him on like I currently am.

One of my paws twitched, trying to tempt me to walk forward. I gritted my teeth and purposely stepped further back into the alley. I couldn't get in a fight with him now… It was so not the time.

I flicked my tail and slipped back further, going to meet up with Chopper where we agreed.

* * *

><p>I relaxed when Chopper came into sight, my tail wagging happily when I saw that he wasn't harmed.<p>

'_You're okay then?_' I questioned him.

He nodded sheepishly as he slipped his cloak off. "We need to help the others when Sanji gets them out. We need to leave this place straight away."

'_Hmm...'_ I muttered, thinking about it. '_We should probably get that camel again for Nami and Vivi… And maybe one for each of us if we can find more? We also need supplies for another trip in the desert… Water most of all.'_

"Yeah!" Chopper agreed.

'_How about you get the camel?_' I asked him, not wanting to have to talk to the pervert myself. '_I'll see if I can't round up some supplies. I'll meet you just outside the city in in 30 minutes._'

"Okay! Hang on!" He said, pulling some stuff out of his bag. First he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it before handing the paper over to me with a small sack of money. "Here this should help you. It's a note saying what I want and to give it to you and there is also some money for the supplies. Be careful."

'_Thanks so much! This will make my life so much easier! And you too,_' I told him, nodding my head in farewell and I set off on my mission, money and note in my mouth. Now… Where to go is the question.

* * *

><p>I slunk down several streets, dodging under people's feet until I saw a shop that looked like it would have what I needed.<p>

I walked up to the door, using my shoulder to push open the door. I then slipped inside, dodging all the stuff laying around and on shelves. I walked up the counter, quirking my brows at the gaping clerk.

"Shoo! Get out of here dog!" He scolded.

I frowned with the letter and sack of money in my mouth before jumping up so that my front feet rested on the counter. I then dropped the money and note on the counter, staring at the counter clerk silently.

He hesitantly reached forward to pick up the note, gently unfolding it so he could read it. The further on he read, the higher his eyes brows went up. I waited patiently as he read over not once, not twice, but three times before he sighed and shook his head.

"What and odd dog..." He remarked. "Your owner sent you here by yourself to pick up some supplies?"

I had no idea what was in the note Chopper wrote, so I just tilted my head to the side, plastering an impish smirk on the muzzle and waved my tail.

"Haha, okay then. Give me five minutes and I'll see what I can get for you," He walked off to the back of the shop muttering. "I need to get myself a dog like that…"

I snickered as I dropped back down the ground, perching on my haunches as I waited patiently for him. I slowly let my eyes roam around the shop to pass the time.

I heard some sounds from the back of the shop before the shop owner came back to the counter, holding what looked like saddle bags for horses.

"This should work…" He mumbled, glancing between me and the packs. "They are the smallest saddle packs we have."

He then walked around the counter, holding out the packs in front of him as if asking my permission to put them on.

'_I'm not a bloody pack mule…_' I muttered as I sighed, standing up. '_Oh well, it's better than nothing_.'

He then walked forward, throwing the bags over my back. Several straps ran over my shoulder, chest and stomach. He took a minute to fiddle with them and strap them up so they fit me. Eventually he stood back, looking at me to admire his work.

I turned my head to the side, spinning in a circle to see if I could move with them on. I could. It was a simple set of saddle bags. A leather pouch sat either side of my ribs, ready to be loaded up. I looked up to the shop clerk, barking once in thanks as I nodded my head.

"Haha! That suits you does it? I'm glad! Now let's load you up!" He said as he walked around the shelves in his store grabbing all sorts of food packages and parcels in his arms. After he had an arm full he walked back over to me and began to load them in my packs as I stood still patiently.

"Right, now to get you some water," He said, walking into the back of the shop again. After another minute or so he came bag, several small barrel like bottles of water. He shoved them into my saddle bags as well before strapping both of them up. "I'm sorry, but that's all the water I can give you. There's not much to go around these days."

"There! You're all set!" He declared as he stepped back again. "Now just let me calculate the price for you."

I wiggled a bit as he calculated the prices and sorted out the money he needed from Chopper's money sack. The packs were heavy now and the straps would take some getting used to.

After he had taken the right amount of money out, he put the rest back under my watchful eye and walked back to me, slipping the money in my pouches.

"Well this has been an interesting day! You're such a good dog!" He told me as he ruffled the fur on top of my head. I rubbed my head against his hand thankfully, yipping twice.

He even walked to the door and opened it as I trotted out, waving goodbye to me. What a nice man!

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	32. Nightmare World

I caught up to the others as they were all settling down on the top of a huge crab. I skidded to a stop gaping at the huge creature. Where the hell did it come from and what the hell is up with the look on its face!

"Ah! Mamori! Come on, jump up!" Chopper called out when he spotted me.

"Come on!" Luffy waved me up.

I sighed, carefully walking up to the crab as I scrutinized it.

'_Hello…_' I greeted it and tuned in to get its reply.

'_Hello… Pretty Dog… Jump on,_' It replied in broken pieces.

I made a face and looked up to Chopper, '_I refuse to get on this thing!_'

"Come on!" Chopper urged. "We need to leave quickly before Crocodile catches up."

I grumbled a bit before jumping up onto the crab's legs, using it to launch myself onto its back. I grunted when the weight of the packs slammed into my back and I stumbled a few steps, not accustomed the extra weight on my back and sides. Zoro's hand shot out, grabbing onto my bandana to stop me from slipping off the crab and he them pushed me to the ground so we could leave without me falling off. I grunted, feeling the thorns of the rose dig I through my fur.

"OKAY! HERE WE GO!" Chopper called out as he grabbed the reins on the crab. "DEPART!"

"AH!" I heard Vivi's voice cry as the crab took off sideways and my head shot up in time to see Vivi flying off the crab, a hook attached to sand around her waist.

'_VIVI!_' I yelped loudly, automatically trying to slip out of the saddle bags so I could move. I bit down on one of the strap, pulling it off me before quickly slipping out of the rest of them.

"STOP CHOPPER!" Zoro order as Zoro, Sanji, and I ran forward.

"VIVI!" Luffy yelled as he jumped forward, grabbing hold of Vivi. "IT'S HIM!"

"KYA!" Vivi screamed as Luffy threw her back at us, Zoro catching her around to waist.

Luffy then hooked his arm around the hook that had tried to take Vivi, purposely getting pulled along with it.

"LUFFY!" Vivi screamed after him.

"THAT IDIOT!" Sanji yelled.

'_What are you doing, you fool!_' I cried out mentally, half debating jumping off after him.

"YOU GUYS GO AHEAD! I'LL BE FINE BY MYSELF!" Luffy yelled back to us as he was pulled off. "MAKE SURE YOU GET VIVI TO THE PALACE!"

"LUFFY! THERE IS TWO OF THEM!" Sanji called out.

Luffy replied with a smirk.

"Idiot," Zoro gritted out before turning around and ordering Chopper. "Head straight for Alubarna Chopper!"

"Okay!" He replied. "Got it!"

"What! We're just going to leave him, Zoro!" Usopp protested loudly as I stared after Luffy. Damn it!

"LUFFY!" Vivi cried out after him as Nami held her back.

"It's okay Vivi!" Nami tried to console her as the crab got further and further away from Luffy. "I feel sorrier for them! There isn't one single person who's tried to fight Luffy and gotten away safely."

"Understand Vivi?" Zoro interpreted as I glanced down dejectedly at the back of the crab. "He will stop Crocodile. The moment the rebellion moved to attack, this country's 'limit' was defined. If the army and rebels collide, this kingdom is done for. If you are our only hope for stopping this then you must stay alive, no matter what! And it doesn't matter what happens to any of us!"

"But…" She protested as she fell to her hands and knees. I flashed over to her side in a second, leaning against her as she used her hands to grip my fur tightly.

"Vivi, you helped set up this fight," Sanji pointed out. "You left your country years ago and you began fighting an organization you knew nothing about. However, you're not fighting by yourself anymore."

"V…Vi…Vivi! Don't wo…rr…worry! I'll… I'll..." Usopp stuttered as his legs shook.

"LUFFY!" Vivi suddenly screamed out as she tightened her grip on my fur once again. "WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU IN ALUBARNA!"

"OKAY!" I heard Luffy call out in the distance. This wasn't the fight against Crocodile that I remembered… There was more than this… What was I missing?

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of tense silence on the crab, Vivi gasped causing me to rocket up to all four paws, spinning around as I looked for the threat. I was a bit on edge… Okay maybe that was an understatement.<p>

"What's wrong Vivi?"

"There's a sandstorm above Rainbase!" She exclaimed as we all looked back the way we had left Luffy. Sure enough there was a huge sandstorm in the distance. "It's him…"

"Luffy…" Nami sighed as we all watched on tensely.

* * *

><p><strong>Thump.<strong>

**Thump.**

**Thump.**

The soft rhythm of my tail slapping against the top of the crab I was sitting on slowly drowned out the other sounds assaulting my ears. It wasn't a happy wagging like most dogs do, it was an annoyed swish, much like a cat that was on the hunt.

**Thump.**

**Thump.**

I clenched my teeth together, the sound of the grinding droning on in my skull.

**Thump.**

**Thump.**

The muscles in my paw tensed as I kneaded my paws into the shell of the crab. The others were either talking quietly or neurotically keeping themselves busy like me. I was just ignoring them all as much as I could, attempting to keep myself and my temper leashed. I was so nervous about Luffy's fight. It didn't _feel_ right.

**Thump.**

**Thump.**

I gritted my teeth again, all my muscles tensing. Damn this way going to be a long wait.

'_Please Luffy. Please be okay,_' I quietly whispered to myself, closing my eyes and bowing my head.

* * *

><p>"WHAT! THE CRAB CAN'T CROSS WATER!" Usopp screamed loudly.<p>

"Moving Crabs are creatures of sand! They can't stand water!" Vivi lectured.

"But it's a crab! I mean, come on! It'll take all day to float across this huge river! And look! Once we cross the river there's still kilometers of desert left to go! If they crab can't make it to the other side… Then we have to run!" Nami said.

"There's no way we can make it in time!" Usopp argued as I silently let my eyes shift back and forth between everyone.

"Oh no! Look, you can see Sandora up ahead!" Sanji gritted out, pointing in front of us.

"Do something Scissors!" Nami begged. Who was Scissors… Surely not the crab?

"Oh yeah! Scissors loves dancers!" Chopper called out.

"Like this?" Nami asked as she stood up and posed. The crab's eyes snapped around, hearts growing in them. Sanji and the camel also got hearts in their eyes as Nami began to dance.

The crab sped up greatly, leaving a trail of dirt behind of us.

"WARP SPEED!"

"NAMI!" Sanji cried out happily.

"V… VWOOO!" The camel joined in and for once I was glad that I didn't know what he said this time. I wasn't paying attention… And for good reason too.

"ERO POWER!"

"So this is supposed to help Chopper!" Usopp called out.

I slipped over to Zoro's side as the crab reached the edge of the river, dancing on my feet from nervousness. This was not looking good. The crab couldn't swim and we were still heading into the water.

"Wait a minute…" Sanji muttered as the grab ran so fast it skimmed over the top of the water. "Holy crab! This thing's amazing!"

"I don't believe it!" Usopp said as he threw his hands his up in the air. "It's a miracle! He's running on top of the water!"

…And then he began to sink.

"No, that was just your imagination!" Zoro hissed and looked around for an escape route.

"GYAAA!"

Zoro quickly grabbed Chopper as we went under the water. I closed my eyes, diving off the side of the crab, not at all scared of the water. I loved the water. I opened my eyes under the water, seeing the others around me, the crab heading back to shore under us. I stayed under the water until I was sure that everyone had reached the surface again before I swam up myself. As my head broke the surface I heard the end of some complaints from the others.

"Quit complainin' and keep moving!" Zoro rebuked the others, swimming away with Chopper perched on his head.

"Wait a sec, we don't have a boat! How far to the other side?" Sanji called out.

With my legs paddling under me I circled back to the back of pack, watching everyone. I was going to make sure no one fell back while we swam and Zoro could take the lead.

"About 50 kms," Vivi informed us.

'_Hey!_' I yelped but it fell on deaf ears. _'I can swim but I can't swim that far! That's insane!'_

"We can't swim that far!" Usopp cried out.

"KYAA!" The girls and Usopp screamed as a huge fished popped out of the water before us, blocking our path.

'_What now!_' I snarled, getting sick of this.

"A Sandora Rare Cat Fish! Named so because it's extremely rare!" Vivi found the time to tell us.

"Who cares about that?"

The fish suddenly dove towards us, it's mouth open.

"It also loves to eat humans!"

"You should have said that first!" Usopp protested.

**BAKOW**

The fish suddenly went flying up into the air, landing on its back in the water. The rest of us gaped at it as a lot of Ku-Fung Dugong's appeared in the water around it and on top of it.

"KUOOOOO!" The cried in unison, pumping their fists.

* * *

><p>"They said, 'We can't let our fellow students perish'," Chopper translated for us.<p>

The Dugongs had turned the fish back over and were now pulling it along for us as we sat on its back. My two dugongs had happily swum up to me, chatting cheerfully. If I had more time I would have tried to talk to them, but we were in a hurry now so I just scrambled on.

"But, uh, it's not like we're Luffy's student's or anything," Sanji pointed out.

"Kuoo!"

"Kuo!"

"Kuo!"

"Kuoo!" The dugongs were calling out around us.

"At least we're alive!" Usopp pointed out.

* * *

><p>3 hours later found us on the shore on the other side of the river. I had given my two dugongs a lick on their faces as they left. I was sad to see them go yet again, they both cracked me up.<p>

"Thanks!" Vivi called out, waving them off.

"We're doing good. Think we can make it in time?" Zoro asked Vivi.

"I don't know," She sighed. "Even with Eyelash here, it'll be tough!"

"But he can only take two people!" Usopp protested. "And from here on the Baroque Works will be trying to trap us! Isn't there anyway we can travel as an entire group?"

My ears twitched as I heard something in the distance. The stamping of feet… But it was not human feet. My head snapped around, my eye narrowing. Nami noticed this and she gasped.

"Wait! Over there!" She pointed out.

"What's that! Enemies! M… M-M-More of them!" Usopp stuttered.

"No! It's… Carue!" Vivi gasped as a whole bunch of large ducks rocked up in front of us. "And the Super Spot Billed Duck Squad! You came for us?"

"QUAAAAK!" They all called out, saluting.

* * *

><p>So, Vivi had somehow convinced us all that we should ride the ducks to get to the city faster. Everyone got their own. And by everyone, I meant everyone. Even I got a duck to ride. It was rather awkward and uncomfortable to say the least.<p>

After we each got assigned a duck we got a brown cloak that had a hood to cover out faces. Even I had to put a cloak on. I had to admit, it sorta looked cute on me. Well, that's what I thought anyway.

My duck was a medium size duck, with an emo looking side fringe. He also had a metal link chain around his neck with an 'X' for a pendant.

Now everyone was on their ducks now and we were charging towards the town and the enemies between us and the town.

One of the enemies pulled out a huge bazooka, firing something at us. A small baseball landed in out path on the sand.

"Stay away from it!" Zoro's voice ordered from under one of the cloaks.

'_Dodge!_' I urged the duck I was riding, tuning in for his reply.

'_Chill, I got this,_' His voice echoed in my head. The ducks jumped out the way as the ball exploded in the sand.

As we planned beforehand everyone split up, running to different gates. I went with Usopp and Eyelash to start with, but once we got through the gate and into the city I got spilt up from them because of a wrong turn.

After a few more turns I thought we'd meet up with them again but we didn't.

'_Oh shit_,' I heard the duck under me curse. It seemed that when I was in close contact or touching another animal, I could hear them a lot better.

'_We've lost them, haven't we?_' I asked him, sighing.

'_Yeah...'_ He admitted remorsefully. '_I'm sorry, I didn't mea-'_

'_It's okay,_' I cut him off. '_Relax. We'll just have to deal.'_

Before either of us could say anything else I heard footsteps and an odd tapping sound coming down the street. The duck spun around so we both faced the incoming enemy. Under my hood I saw a tall and slim man approaching me. He was wearing what looked like a dark purple posh suit with a top hat. It looked like something people used to wear back in the times they used horses and carts. The tap sound was a walking cane that seemed to be using.

'_Yo, what's an old dude doin' out here?_' The duck questioned.

I hesitated in answering him as I watched the man walk closer. His grey eyes were watching us unemotionally from under the rim of his hat. He managed to keep his face straight, that was the thing that unnerved me the most. If it wasn't for his lack of facial expression I would have thought he was just a random old man.

'_I don't think he is any old man_,' I growled softly as the man stopped right in front us.

"Come on now. I've chased you all this way, the least you can do is show me your face," The old man suddenly said, making me tense up.

My body shook with silent laughter under the coat, my head tucking against my chest as I closed my eyes to try and control myself. I felt some of the thorns from the rose dig through my fur again; I guess I still had the rose after all. I think the drugs the old bat gave me ages ago were still fucking with me. I found it funny that they guy wanted to find Vivi and instead he was about to learn he has chased a dog the whole time. And, I was about to get in another huge fight most likely. Great.

"Oh? You're shaking now?" The man questioned. "I promise that if you give yourself up easily I will make your death painless and quick."

My silent laughter doubled, making me hunch over even more as my body shook. He had mistaken my laughter as shaking? Oh hell, he has a nice slap in the face coming.

'_Thanks mate_,' I said to the duck, my previously hidden Australian accent slipping out. I'd never really have much of a chance to show it before. My words previously had been heavily guarded and considered. But now, I was talking freely. '_You've been a great help. I owe you big! I'm about to jump off and when I do I want you to get out of here. Shit's about to go down and things are gunna get messy_.'

'_Are you sure you'll be alright…?_' The duck hesitated.

'_She'll be apples_,' I snorted. '_Right'o, here I go._'

With that said I launched myself off the duck's back, jumping up into the air. I flipped over once while I was in the air, using my jaws to whip the cloak of me. I threw the cloak behind me as I landed smoothly on the ground, my eyes shining with mixed emotions.

Mr. Cane's jaw dropped till it about reached the ground, his eyes bugging out of his head as he stared at me. I quirked one of my doggish eyebrows, noting that in background the sound of the duck running away had faded into the distance. It was just me and him… Whoever he was.

"A… Dog?" He spluttered, gaping at me.

A let out several booming barks, throwing up my head in a display of poise.

"It's a dog," He stated again, still blinking at me.

I was getting sick of this so I flashed my teeth at him, crinkling my muzzle.

"That's right… Crocodile did mention something about a dog that travelled with them…" The man mumbled to himself as if no one was around and I knew right then for sure that he was in with the Baroque Works. "I guess this must be the one… I was hoping for a good opponent to prove my worth with and I get stuck with a dog! I guess I better take care of it anyway. This could be interesting; I wonder how it ended up with them. Something here is not right."

I swished my tail once behind me, wishing that the guy would stop talking to himself and pay attention to me.

The man reached up to rub his stubbly beard that I had only just noticed and he finally looked up and met my eyes. His stare was cold and distant so I glared back at him with fury swirling in my eyes. I had gathered so much stress and anger the last few days, this was my chance to let it out.

Without beating around the bush the man lifted his walking stick off the ground, spinning it around in a wide arc before he slammed the end back down on the ground. "Akumu Okami!*"

I tensed up as three areas on the ground seemed the ripple as if it was a mirage on a hot day. In the spots that rippled three large black masses slowly rose out of the ground while I stood there gaping in confusion. This one was new.

As the black masses kept coming out of the ground they slowly seemed to take on a form, the form of wolves. As the forms were completed they opened their eyes at the same time, three sets of blood red eyes narrowing in on me.

'_Well… This is not what I had hoped for_,' I sighed to myself, slipping into a defensive position.

I had a stare off with the wolves for a second as they all stayed still like statues, not moving or making any sounds. This was way too confusing. I saw movement and my eyes flicked to the guy with the cane as he lifted his cane up slightly and tapped it on the ground once more.

Suddenly all the wolves sprang to life, their blank faces turning into snarling faces. The sound that suddenly exploded into the air caused me to jump slightly but I quickly snarled back. I lowered my head as the wolves all started to lumber forward.

My ears perked forward in a dominant display, letting them know I was not scared of them as the continued to advance. I figured that if I have to fight them all at once I might as well use my knife, so I quickly swiped it out, holding it out the side of my muzzle.

The wolves spread out around me as I kept perfectly still, not willing to let them think they had the upper hand. I had to act calm, confident and assertive. One of the black wolves slipped behind me, the other two each advancing on my left and right sides. It seemed like they all wanted to attack me at once.

Suddenly they all jumped at me at the same time, all with their jaws open ready to bite. Keeping a calm mind I waited till they were almost on top of me before I reacted. I jumped directly forward, the one route they had left open. The wolves that tried to jump from the left and the right crashed into each other, tumbling to the ground. The one from behind merely leaped over them, charging for me.

I spun around and met it head on, dashing forward as it lunged at my neck, trying to bite my most vulnerable place. I neatly ducked under the bite, bringing up my knife to slash along the wolves neck. I landed a direct hit, as I felt my knife sink in into the skin of the wolf. I expect to get some splash back of blood but the whole wolf melted into a black puddle right in front of me. I quickly jumped back from the black stuff that was spread on the ground, even more confused now. Slowly the black puddle melted back into the ground as I heard two snarls from behind me.

I heard one of the wolves really close to me so I kicked my back paws out like a kicking horse. I felt my paws connect with the wolf's jaw, confirming that they had solid mass while they were alive.

The wolf stumbled back a few steps, seemingly confused from the direct blow to his head. I quickly pivoted around, jumping forward as I drove my knife forward, straight into the wolf's chest. I jumped back in time to see it melt into another black puddle, slowly seeping into the ground.

'_Now… Where's the last one?_' I asked myself, glancing around.

I didn't need to look long as I felt something collide into me from the back. I tumbled the ground, grunting as I impacted with it and the grunt turned into a yelp as I felt sharp teeth dig into the back of my neck, shredding my skin. I half twisted around, thrusting up my back legs to catch the wolf in its ribs. I heard it choke, letting go of my neck and stepping back as it choked. I rolled onto my stomach, jumping back up quickly before spinning around to face the other wolf. The wolf in front of me wheezed, trying to cough to regain its lost breath.

I jumped at the wolf as it tried to scramble to the side. I drove my knife in-between its ribs as it turned its side to me. With one last wheeze it melted into a puddle of black goo at my feet.

I let out a long sigh stepping out of the puddle of goo. The odd material slowly crept down my legs, seeping back into the ground.

'_Too easy_,' I snorted as I turned back to Mr. Cane who was frowning at me.

"Well… You're better than I thought. Looks like I may have to put some effort into beating you," He said, lifting up his cane once more.

I growled at him, flatting my ears, '_As I thought. He underestimated me and that was an easy attack he used on me. Now he's getting serious. Great. Note the sarcasm. I don't understand who he is though, or what his power is… If I knew that it wouldn't be as bad._'

He began to spin his cane around once more but he didn't do just once spin, he kept spinning it. The whooshing sound that echoed through the air had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Something not good was about to happen. Why could none of my fights be simple and easy? I'm mean, come on!

The air around his cane seemed to twist and distort as another black shape seemed to grow from the air. Slowly the black mass once again grew, into a round circle that floated in the air. It grew to about the size of the cane before stopping and just floating there as he spun his cane.

"Eien Akumu!*" His voice ran out as he drove his cane to the ground again, the sound of it hitting the ground echoing through the air.

Within less than a second the black blob expanded and consumed everything within sight, even me. I didn't have time to react before I was encased in a world of black. I tensed up, my eyes blinking as I tried to make out any shapes in the black world I was now in. All I could see was black; I couldn't even hear or smell anything around me, it was like I was unconscious.

Suddenly the black around me started to fade out, the feeling of soft grass beneath my feet coming first. I smelt and tasted the fresh air as the image around me slowly revealed itself. I blinked a few times when I saw that it was the backyard of my old house that I lived in when I was a kid. It was a big house and had a huge backyard. Each side of the house was paddocks so it was a quiet place to live.

"Braylie!" A voice I recognized called out my name.

I spun around, stumbling as I realized I only had two legs. I glanced down, seeing that I was in my human body… A mini version of my body. I was a kid again.

"Bray!" The voice called again and I looked up as my younger brother trotted up to me.

He was wearing a pair of black shorts and had a dark brown t-shirt on. He was not wearing any shoes, which wasn't uncommon for the both of us when we were kids. He had bright blue eyes, mirrors of mine. His short brown hair also matched mine but his was flat with no curls and his face had no freckles on it. He looked to be around 8 years old… That would make me 10. He beamed up at me with one of his huge, innocent smiles that I had not seen in ages.

He then held up with cupped hand to me, bouncing on the ball of his feet, "Look what I found!"

I was speechless, surely he wasn't really here? I hadn't realized how much I had missed him until I saw him. He was my best friend and dearest brother and always had been. He was about 2 years younger than me and he had always been my little tag along. He used to follow me everywhere I went and did anything I did. I loved him dearly and looked after him all the time. I used to read him stories before we went to bed every night; I used to play with his cars with him and so much more. We did everything together as kids.

He was an interesting boy to say the least. Maybe it was how I treated him as a kid or maybe it just how he was but he was very, very sensitive. My roles and his were switched around. I was the rough one that would be out digging in the dirt and collecting bugs. My mum couldn't let me wear anything but dark clothes because I would get them dirty in less than half an hour. Kayle on the other hand was the softy. He cried so easily it wasn't funny and he had such a caring heart. If someone so much as looked at him wrong he'd cry.

As we grew up and went to school my brother always got picked on because of how he was. It got worse the older he got. Because we went to the same school I used to stick up for him all the time. If I saw anyone being mean to him I'd march over and chew their ear off with my silver tongue. If that didn't work I used to end up getting in a scuffle with a bunch of boys. I got in trouble for it a lot of times but I didn't care. Kayle was mine, he was my brother, and I was not about to let anyone make him cry. That's where I got my protective nature from.

"Earth to Bray," He called out, tilting his head to the side. I woke up from my spacing out, reaching my hand forward in a dumbstruck way. I reached out one finger, poking him in the forehead. My finger was met with real flesh.

"Kayle," I gaped, my hand dropping back to my side.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked frowning before quickly changing the subject. "Anyway! Look what I found behind the garbage bin!"

I watched him open his hands, a small lizard head poking out. I remember this! As kids Kayle and I had always tried to catch the little lizards that lived around our house in little bushes. This was the first time Kayle had ever caught one! Why are things from the past playing again? It must be something to with Mr. Cane!

"This is unusual… Very unusual," Speak of the devil and he shall appear. My brother gasped, looking behind me with large eyes. I spun around, jumping in front of my brother. "I expect to see memories of a dog… But a human? You're not a normal dog at all, are you? Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"

"Fuck you!" Was the first set of words out of my mouth. I'm a charmer aren't I? "Who are you and what is this! Why am I back in my human body as a kid and why I am seeing things that have happened in my past?"

"Braylie, what's going on?" A scared little voice asked behind me. I flinched as I turned around to see my brother looking at me with teary eyes. He knew something was going on, he wasn't stupid. I held my arms out and Kayle dropped the lizard he was holding, diving into my arms. He wrapped his arms around my waist as he buried his head into my side. I wrapped my arms back around him, glaring protectively at the man in front of us. I was in a child's body, no weapons, and my brother was here. What was I meant to do?

"Oh, how cute," He sneered at us as he leaned against his cane. "I'm Mr. Six and this is my power. I have eaten the Akumu-Akumu fruit and you're in my Eternal Nightmare World now. Have you eaten a Devil's Fruit too?"

"No," I snarled bluntly. "Not as far as I know. And aren't any Baroque Work members under Mr. Five meant to mostly make money and recruit people? So what the hell are you doing here and where is your partner?"

"How odd. So you're in a dog's body but you didn't eat a Devil's Fruit? I wonder how that happened…" He mused to himself. "Think little girl. Mr. Three is gone now, he failed. We have a blank position. Someone needs to fill it. If everyone else goes up a rank I will become Mr. Five. Are you with me so far? To take up that position I need to prove my worth though, and to do that I am helping to crush you pirates and kill the Princess. My partner, Ms. Mother's Day is not needed here. She knows better than to interrupt my fights."

"Well she just may need to scrap your ass off the ground when I'm done with you!" I hissed at him, hugging my brother tighter to me. "And you said before this is your nightmare world? What does that mean… It looks just like my past, how is that a nightmare?"

"My, my, Dear," He chided. "Rushing into things are we? Whatever happens in here will be transferred to your body out there. If you're injured your other body will be hurt too. In other words, die in here and you die out there. This is your worst nightmare, it has only just started."

I screamed suddenly as a sharp stabbing pain exploded from my side where my brother was holding onto me. My legs buckled under me as I landed on my hands and knee on the ground. My brother stepped back from me as I glanced at my side, panting from the pain. In my side was a knife, buried up to its hilt. It only looked like a small knife, so it must have not gone in too deep. It still hurt like a bitch.

I looked up at my younger brother, confusion clouding my eyes. "Kay…?"

In reply a wicked smirk grew over his face and for the first time I noticed his eyes had taken on a red colour.

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><p>Akumu Okami – Nightmare Wolves<p>

Eien Akumu – Eternal Nightmare

Akumu - Nightmare

**Beta Read by praeses**


	33. Odd Shortcuts

**The next chapter is finally here! ^^ And...well, it may seem a bit depressive so I am sorry. There is reason for what is happening to Mamori, I promise. So, to lighten the mood I have added an Omake at the end of the chapter! Hope you like it. **

* * *

><p>I heard the Mr. Six chuckle in the background as I stared at Kayle, horror stricken. I opened my mouth to say something but I felt something climb up the back of my throat. I coughed roughly, spitting out blood on the green grass.<p>

I watched numbly as the red liquid slid down the grass blades and into the dirt, leaving red smudges on the grass. I lifted my head up, looking at Kayle again and all he did was smirk back at me. I opened my mouth as if to talk to him but nothing came out. I didn't know what to say so I just knelt there gaping.

"What's wrong _Bray_?" Kayle purred as he said my nickname with some antipathy.

I tried to push myself back to my feet, groaning as pain shot up my side. I used my left hand to clutch my right side as I straightened back up into a hunched over standing position. My young child's body couldn't handle all the pain and for once I wished I was back as a dog.

I stopped, panting harshly, this time wrapping both my arms around my stomach. I wrapped my left hand around the handle of the knife, lifting up my head to glare at Mr. Cane.

"May you drown in a puddle of your blood stained urine you filthy godforsaken pile of mouse crap! You're lower than the scum that bottom feeders feast on! You're… You're not even a quarter as much a man as your mother is! How dare you! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!" I screamed at him, fury boiling in my veins. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DO THIS TO KAYLE! None! How dare you do this to his memory! He didn't deserve this! This is between you and me!"

"Are you done?" He asked me calmly as I stood there panting.

His calmness tripled my anger, causing me to grind my teeth together. I clenched my fist harder around the hilt of the knife, tearing it out of my side in one swift motion. I screamed as pain shot all over my body, stumbling two dizzy steps forward. I took a few deep breaths as I got over the pain wave. I then spat at him, the spit flying to land on his neatly polished black shoes.

I saw his façade twitch as I merely sent him a smirk before mocking, "Are you done?"

"You're childish attitude suits your childish body," He sneered.

"And your small dick suits your small brain," I spat back, not aware how stupid I looked as a little 10 year old child swearing like a sailor.

I slowly pulled my blood stained hand away from my side throwing the knife to my right hand. I pulled my thumb over the end of the hilt as I clutched it tighter. I was finally glad to have a weapon, even if it was a small one.

He suddenly waved his hand in the air as he commanded, "Kayle, if you'd please."

I spun around, flinching from the pain in my side. My younger brother threw himself at me, a stick like shape of black blob forming his hand. It quickly turned solid, turning into an all-black blade with a red and black hilt. The sword was almost as big as him because he was only a tiny kid, but he swung it around with no trouble.

He swung it at me from my right side where I was wounded and I jumped backwards, sucking in a breath as I resisted the urge to grab my side. Kayle quickly switched the swing around, bringing it back towards me in a vertical arc. Again I danced backwards, clutching the useless knife to my chest.

"Kay!" I begged my brother. "Stop this! This isn't you!"

He thrust the sword at me this time instead of swinging it so I tried to jump to the side. The blade of the sword scraped along my left arm, just above my elbow. I gasped in pain, stumbling away from him.

"Haven't you got it by now?" Mr. Six asked. "This is not your brother, this is your nightmare. He isn't who you think he is and he isn't going to listen to you."

"Haven't _you_ got it by now?" I spat back at him without taking my eyes off my brother as he got ready to swing again. "I want Kayle out of this now! It's between you and me, leave Kay alone!"

I bit my lip as I dodged to the side from another swipe of the sword. How was I mean to deal with this? I didn't want to hurt Kayle, he was my brother but he was way too dangerous with a sword.

I took a deep breath, getting ready to counter attack and try and restrain Kayle. I couldn't dodge him all day, not in the shape I was in. I waited until he thrust the sword at me and I leant back far enough for him to not stab me but so I could still reach the blade. Using the palm of my left hand I slammed down on the flat side of the sword, thrusting it downward. I then used my left foot to slam down on it, digging it into the ground and trapping it.

Without giving him a chance to pull it out I leant forward and latched my hand around his wrist, twisting it so he dropped the sword completely. He pulled back but I pulled him towards me, sweeping my right foot behind both his feet and pulling it back towards me so I swept him from his feet. As I fell with him, I quickly straddled his waist and placed my left hand on his chest to hold him down. Blood was running down my lip from how hard I bit it to ignore the pain of my side. The knife was still clenched in my right hand but held it closer to my chest because I didn't want to use it on him.

"Kay, come on dude!" I begged him again, a few tears leaking out of my eyes. All that he did was stare at me with emotionless red eyes, his face void of emotion. "KAYLE!"

My brother slowly lifted up his hand, wrapping it around my right hand that held the knife and he slowly brought it down towards his chest, blade first.

"Bro… Kay… What are you doing?" I whispered quietly, my whole body shaking as I stared at him shock. I tried to pull my hand back but his grip was too tight and I couldn't budge it. His strength was inhuman for a young eight year old boy.

Kayle said nothing, he only leant the tip of the knife against his chest as I continued trying to pull back. Slowly and agonizingly he drove the knife into his chest, right above where his heart should be. I panicked and more tears leaked out of my eyes as I wrapped both my hands around the blade still trying to pull back.

"DON'T DO THIS!" I screamed loudly.

Blood welled up and leaked through his t-shirt as the knife slowly penetrated his chest millimeter by millimeter. He cried out in pain as the knife slipped in deeper and my scream or dismay mixed in with it.

With his last strength he drove the rest of the knife right in, up to the hilt. His body shuddered under me as he completely went limp, his eyes glazing over. I froze, not being able to do anything but stare at him in horror. His body suddenly turned all black, melting into a pile of goo under me. I sat in the goo, my hands resting in the black substance as I continued to stare for a few minutes.

My whole body shook as my brain tried to work and comprehend what just happened. My tears dropped down to mix with the black material as it slowly started to seep back into the earth. I clenched my fists as I let out a sudden and loud scream of rage of pain, turning my head up to the sky.

"ARGHHHHHHH!" I cried until I ran out of my breath and my head dropped back against my chest.

Without realizing it I had some got back to my feet, not fully aware of my body moving. Slowly I turned around, my eyes narrowed in on Mr. Six who was smirking at me. I was beyond the point of furious. I was WAY beyond that stage. I couldn't even describe the mindset I was in right now. One of the most important people to me had just killed themselves before my eyes because of me. Even if it wasn't real, it didn't matter. I would never be able to think about my brother in the same way again and it was because of this mother fucker. No one touches my family or friends and gets away with it.

I slowly started to walk towards the man as he raised an eyebrow at me. The tension was palpable in the air, the knife still clenched in my right hand. In a dangerously low and monotone voice I questioned him, "This is your idea of a nightmare?"

"It worked on you didn't it?" He asked calmly as I slowly walked towards him. "There is no way out of here other than killing yourself or dying here."

I didn't bother to answer him; I only walked close until I stood right before him. I only came up to his waist in my young body so I had to tilt my head back to keep eye contact with him. I lifted up my knife, pointing it up towards him.

"I could kill you. If you're dead, your world cannot exist anymore," I replied in an emotionless voice and without giving him a chance to reply I drove the knife straight into his stomach.

I pushed the knife in, up to the hilt and I expected to hear him cry out but he only chuckled. He flashed me a smile as his body melted away in the black substance, sloshing the ground.

"You'll have to do better than that," A voice whispered in my ear and I quickly swung around, slashing the knife in front of me. My knife flashed through air, there was no one behind me.

My head snapped around as I tried to find out where he was, my rage growing as I was kept from my target.

"How about round two now?" His voiced echo around the whole area and in one pulse I plunged into darkness again.

I lost feeling of my young body and all my pain seemed to slowly dissolve away as I floated in limbo. For a few moments I could feel that I was back in Mamori's body, with my four legs but it quickly disappeared again as I was sucked away.

Slowly the scene cleared in front of me, sounds slowly assaulting my ears. I heard the buzzing of a TV in the background. I looked down and noticed that I had a pen clutched in my hands, books below that. It was my homework…

Numbly I flipped the book closed so I could read and the first thing I noticed on it was 'Grade 10'. So… I must be about 15 this time. It's a lot better than being a kid. I stared at my hands and then down at my sides. My injuries were gone. Nowhere to be seen. Maybe they went to my other body through the switch… That means I must somehow still be connected to my other body! I just needed to find a way back.

I vaguely noticed that I was being talked to and I looked to my left side to see my mother cooking something in the kitchen. She was blabbing on and on about something.

My mother was the last member of my family and I loved her to bits. She was strict, very cranky most of the time, and always had something to complain about but I loved her. She also was great fun to talk to, always willing to joke around and if you needed anything reasonable she would get it for you eventually…With some complaining.

Her husband, my father, along with Kayle had left us a few years back when they spilt up. Thing went downhill very quickly from there and we had to sell our house in the country and move to the city.

My mother, props to her, took it in a stride and organized everything for us. She definitely was an independent woman, that's where I'd got it from. Although it seemed I had got my looks from my father because she looked different from me. She had mellow green eyes, no freckles, and straight orange brown hair in a boys cut.

"So what else do you need for this project?" My mother asked me as she finally met my eyes. "So far we have paper, cut outs, stars, and metallic texters? Couldn't you do this whole Gods thing on a power point? It would be a lot easier."

I stared at her, my brows furrowing. Gods project? Oh that's right. I did a project on Pagan Gods for religion in Grade 10. I got a good grade for it too. It was a very interesting topic to research; I loved all that I learnt about it. Even after I finished the project I kept up with my research. It was such an interesting topic and I couldn't get enough information about it. That's why I remember it.

I stayed silent and didn't answer my mum as I watched her cautiously. She wasn't about to turn on my like Kayle was she? I couldn't stand see another of my family members die because of me.

Suddenly an idea came to me and I sprung up from the seat at the table, the chair clattering noisily to the ground behind me.

"Braylie?" My mother questioned me, watching me.

"Sorry," Was all I gasped before spinning around and bolting through the house. The hallway through to the front door was not far from the kitchen so I headed there first. I was running so fast I skidded around the corner, grabbing at the doorway to stabilize myself and then I ran straight at the front door. I hit the door with a bang and my now sweaty hand wrapped around the handle, jiggling the door handle.

With a pop the lock on the door came undone so I swung the door in, running straight out of it and into my front yard. Without waiting I pumped my legs, running to the foot path and bolting down my street. Houses that I vaguely remembered flew past me, intent on just running as far away from my mother as I could.

As I ran I planned out my next move. I needed to back in Mamori's body, that was for sure. When I had switched scenes I felt connected to Mamori's body, so that must be the moment I needed to use to escape. I needed to avoid getting to injured this time because my injuries were all going to my other body, no doubt. And when I got out I needed to act quickly to take Mr. Six out of action.

I made it down a few streets before I suddenly heard a car horn blare from behind me. My head swung around in time to see a car swerving off the road, heading straight for me. I would have recognized the car anywhere, it was my mother's.

With a scream I threw myself forward, rolling along the ground as the car went over the curb and rushed over the foot path right behind me. I hit the rough ground, rolling along it as I scraped some of my skin off. A loud crashing sound echoed behind me, deafening me for a few moments. I laid on my stomach on the ground, my chest having as I stared at the pavement next to my face. My own mother had just tried to run me down with a car…

Mom! Was she okay! I pushed my back up to my feet, my palms slightly bleeding from all the skin that was scraped off them from my drive roll. I clambered up to my feet, spinning around to see the front of my mother's car embedded in a stone wall that surrounded the front of a house.

I saw that the front of the car was all dented and scrunched up, but the car was still running. My mother's head was resting against the steering wheel and she wasn't moving.

"MOM!" I yelped, thoughtless scrambling towards the car. I ran straight up to her window, banging on it. "Mom! Can you hear me! MOM!"

Her head slowly turned around, still resting on the steering wheel. A line of black goo was leaking out of a cut on her head causing me to tense up as I remember what she was. As if to strengthen that fact, she flashed me a wicked smile, her red eyes flashing open.

My breath caught in my throat as I stumbled back a step, getting ready to run again. My mother slammed down on the pedals, her car reversing straight back out of the wall. A few pieces of the rubble smacked into me as I turned and bolted again, trying to run faster than before. My mother quickly put the car in forward and slammed on the accelerator.

This time, instead of driving on the road she just powered along on the foot path after me. I wasn't going to lie, I was scared as hell right now.

It didn't take more than the distance of a few houses before she caught up to me in her car and she didn't slow down at all. I tried to dive to the side again but it didn't work this time. I felt the front of the car slam into my thighs, lifting me off the ground. I was thrown on to the bonnet, my shoulders and ribs connecting roughly with it next.

**CRUNCH**

A sicking sound echoed numbly in my ears as I screamed in fear and pain. Then my head smashed into the window, glass shattering around me. I blacked out for a few seconds then., waking up moments later to find myself on the ground, laying on my back.

I laid there, no sound coming through my ears as my head pounded. I couldn't breathe and all I could feel was pain. Red, green, and grey swam in my blurred vision. I was laying on the foot path again, blood seeping out of several places on my body as it stained the ground. I dazedly tuned my head to the side to my mother's car not far away from me. Black goo was leaking out from a crack in the door and sinking into the ground. She was dead…

Mr. Cane would be here in a second. I needed to get up. I slowly and agonizingly rolled over to my stomach and when I went to push myself back up one of my arms would move properly. I ended up pushing myself up into a sitting position as I surveyed the damage my body had sustained. The thing that worried me the most was the arm that wasn't moving. The problem seemed to be lying the shoulder and it finally concluded that it was popped out of place.

I was bleeding from many places, mostly from cuts from glass. The left side of my face had several cuts on it, blood dribbling over my pale check and down my neck. My skin had been scraped off my body in several places from the rough landing again but it didn't look like I had any broken bones.

"Well, that was a disappointment," A voice snorted and I looked up to see Mr. Six standing before me, leaning on his cane. "I was hoping for more… Struggling."

I couldn't even find the energy to argue with him or to try and attack him. I just wanted out of here. Who was going to have to watch die next?

"No rude remarks anymore?" He asked me, quirking a brow.

I lowered my head, tears gathering in my eyes. I was hoping to give him the impression that I was broken, although I couldn't fool myself into thinking it was all an act because it wasn't. I'd had enough of this, I just wanted to throw myself into someone's arms and bawl my eyes out.

"Tch, you're beginning to be no fun. I'm going to tire of this quickly," He sighed. "Round three then."

I waited and sure enough I felt another pulse and I was thrown into darkness. I waited till I could feel myself slipping back into Mamori's body and with the viciousness of a snake I snagged onto the feeling, refusing to let go.

I wrapped my thoughts around the feeling, holding on with everything I had. I felt something tugging me back, into another one of his plays. I refused to let go, playing a game of tug of war. It started to pull me as hard as it could I felt pain everywhere. It wasn't just on one spot like when I get injured. My entire being hurt, like my soul was being torn.

'_NOOO!'_ I screamed mentally to myself, begging for someone or something to help me. I couldn't survive another trip into his world. I needed out, NOW.

The pain continued to grow until the point the only thing I could do was scream mentally into the black abyss.

Something else drifted into my tormented senses. It was a smell. A smell of something sweet yet something obnoxious. It was the smell of the rose that the cloaked man had given me. It was a link to the outside world!

I only had one shot at this. To latched onto the smell I had to let go of my body. When I let go there was no going back to it. If it this didn't work I would be sucked into his playground again.

I let go. The pain ebbed away as I felt myself getting pulled but I quickly resisted and with the last of my strength I threw myself at the smell of the rose. Instead of clinging to it this time I dove into it. I let myself slip onto the smell and felling of it, the blackness being pushed away by the rose.

**SNAP**

I felt the black and Mr. Six's power let go as it rebounded back at him. I was free!

I felt a sense of comfort come over me, every bit of mental and physical pain disappeared. I felt safe, like I didn't have to worry about anything more. The further I slipped into the rose the more I lost myself until I realized I was going in too far.

I had wanted to use the rose as a bridge, not as a hiding place for me. If I went in any further there was no going back. But I loved this feeling the rose gave me, the feeling of warm numbness. Why should I leave? It was safe here. I had nothing to worry about.

Suddenly images of my friends flashed through my head. Luffy. Zoro. Nami. Usopp. Sanji. Vivi. Carue. Even Chopper. Could I just leave them? What would they think?

They be mad… Hell they'd be pissed. They'd kick my ass if I thought about leaving them like this. Luffy would probably sucker punch me from here to North Blue. I couldn't do that to them.

With a bit of regret I let go of the feeling of the rose and I got dragged away, towards something more grounded.

With a bit of a rough impact I landed back into solid form, my brain trying to figure out what was going on. Then I felt the pain. So much pain that I blacked out for a few seconds. When I came to again, I was laying in the dirt.

I slowly opened my eyes; almost passing out from relief when I saw my muzzle was back in place.

I was snapped out of this when I heard groaning and I flicked my eyes around so they landed on Mr. Six. He was crouched on the ground, clutching his head as he groaned in pain.

Now as my chance. I went to jump back up to my feet but my body tensed and froze as I was assaulted by a lot of pain. All my pervious injuries had been transfused to this body. All my cuts, bruises, sore muscles, my stab wound in right side and my dislocated shoulder.

I gritted my teeth together. I needed to act quickly before he got back to himself and attacked me again.

I heaved myself slowly and painfully off the ground, my right leg dragging loosely on the ground because I couldn't move it. I needed to pop it back into place.

I slowly stumbled forward, my body screaming vehemently in protest. Mr. Six hadn't noticed me yet. The rebound of my escaping his attack must have really hurt him. I picked up my pace and turned it into a drunken trot. That trot turned into a sprint as Mr. Cane finally looked up at me, his eyes growing wide.

The dog in me took over. My blood was boiling after all he put me through. He needed to die, NOW. I jumped forward and without think my jaws wrapped themselves around his throat. I tackled him to the ground, my teeth tearing at his throat as the warm blood leaked into my mouth. He cried out in pain, trying to shove me away.

I tightened my grip, cutting of his air flow and blood supply. He started gasping, his face slowly turning blue.

"P… Ple…ease…" He gasped, begging me as I began to shake him roughly.

I drowned out his protest with my loud growling, completely tuning him out. With one last shuddering breath he slumped against me, his lips going blue.

I froze when I realized what I had been doing. I let go of him and stumbled back like I had been shot, tripping over my one not working leg. I had been trying to tear out his throat like a wild animal...

I watched him silently for a few seconds, sagging in relief when his chest rose slightly before falling. He was still breathing, I had just choked him till he passed out… I had beat him.

I vaguely noticed that my whole body was shaking. My legs, sides, tail, and even my head. I couldn't figure out why I was shaking though.

Shit, his partner would probably show up soon. I'm not in the right shape to fight anyone else. I'd better get out of here while I still could.

With that decided I quickly ran at the nearest wall and I threw myself sore shoulder first into it.

**CRACK**

The sound echoed as I yelped, my shoulder snapping back into place. Now I'd be able to walk faster. I then slunk off, stumbling along from all rest of the pain and injuries that were still assailing me while my body shook. Now, if I remember correctly everyone ended up at the palace for the final bit of this showdown.

* * *

><p>The sound of fighting echo all around as I dodged the fighters, stumbling between their legs. If I was going to get through to the palace I needed to go through the fighting and it wasn't a pretty sight. This was humanity at its worst. It's something no one wants to see.<p>

A man hit the ground near me, a huge open gash sliced across his chest. A dribble of blood leaked out of his mouth as he gasped his last breath. His body shuddered and then went still. I wonder if he a had family? A wife? Son? Daughter? Brother? Sister? I turned my head away, quickly hurrying on.

I couldn't have been anymore relieved when I got the steps of the palace and saw everyone else around there. They all looked a bit worse for wear but they were all still alive and not missing any limbs.

I bolted towards them, letting out several happy barks. I was so, so, so happy to see them. I was running so fast I couldn't stop on time and ended up crashing into Zoro's legs, sending us both sprawling to the ground.

I didn't waste the chance, I jumped on top of Zoro, squirming and wiggling as I licked his cheek several times.

"Hey!" He protested, quickly shoving me off of him as he sat up, rubbing his head. "Watch where you're going."

A gave him one more cheeky lick on the cheek before spinning around, my eyes quickly flashing over the others.

"Sorry, I lost to that guy once," Luffy's voice rang out and I looked up to see Crocodile looking down at us from the top of the palace wall. "So this time I can't lose…"

"Hurry up with it," Zoro snorted.

"If you can't win, who can!" Usopp called out.

"I'll finish it now… All of it," Luffy declared, holding his arm stretching out and latching onto the top of the wall.

"ALRIGHT!" everyone called out at the same time, my bark mixing in with their voices.

"Grahh!" Luffy grunted as he went flying up into the air.

I watched Luffy went flying and socked Crocodile in the jaw, sending him flying back over the wall. Luffy quickly disappeared over the after him, leaving me watching blank sky.

* * *

><p>"What? Find the shooter?" Usopp asked. "How the heck am I supposed to do it?"<p>

"No time to think about it, we've got 10 minutes," Nami sighed as we tried to figure out a plan. Apparently there was a cannon set to blow up the whole area. "Since the diameter of the blast is about 5 km or so, the enemy should be at least 2.5 km away."

"No!" Vivi injected. "The shooters might be very near here…"

"How?" Usopp muttered. "If the bomber is here then they'll be…"

"Crocodile is that sort of person…" Nami pointed out.

"Killing his own buddies…" Chopper gasped, his jaw dropping.

"I'd like to eat that guy raw…" Sanji muttered.

"If you know it, then let's…" Zoro started to say.

Suddenly I noticed something, my eyes narrowing. Someone with a sword was sneaking up behind Vivi, ready to cut her down. It seemed like Zoro and Sanji noticed it too. I quickly sprang into action, dashing straight past Vivi. Zoro blocked the guys swing with his own blade and in synch Sanji kicked him in the face and I head-butted him roughly in the stomach.

Blood flew out of his mouth as he dropped the ground. I landed next to him, grunting as pain shot through my body again.

"DAMN IT!" Usopp swore as suddenly lot of pirates advanced towards us, trying to take out Vivi.

"We've finally found you Princess Vivi!"

"Killing you will earn us a promotion."

"And we'll become millionaires!"

"How long do you plan on taking?" Sanji asked Zoro.

"We have to make very second count," Zoro replied.

"Two seconds," They decided at the same time.

"Let's run!" Nami said as she bolted, they rest following suit.

"Mamori," Zoro said, tilting his head towards me. He didn't even have to say anything, I knew what he wanted. I let out a bark, sprinting after the others and Sanji and Zoro began their attack.

"Let's hurry and escape to somewhere safe!" Usopp ordered.

* * *

><p>"Something that can shoot a 5 km diameter area!" Sanji mused to himself as he run. I sprinted next to him, struggling to keep up. Everyone had split up into teams to look for places the large cannon could be and I got stuck with Sanji. "Wait, that should be big. Something like that can't be far! Is it closer than we think?"<p>

Sanji skidded to a stop suddenly and I stumbled to a stop next to him, my chest heaving. Damn he could run fast.

"Damn!" He swore as he turned around and kicked down the closest wall. "No time to waste!"

'_Are you serious!_' I yelped, staring at the huge hole.

Sanji just ran through the house, kicking through the next wall and doing it again. I just shook my head and followed him still as he rampaged through a whole row of houses. People would not be happy when they came back to their house to see this… If they come back.

It took a few minutes but suddenly Sanji and I stopped glancing up at the sky as a flare went off.

"They must have found it at the palace!" He said as he grabbed me by my scruff and heaved me up under his arm. "You're too slow."

And with that said he bolted towards the palace at double speed, me under his arm. I was too tired to protest so I just hung under his arm.

* * *

><p>I was bumped around under Sanji's arm as he run up the stairs of the clock tower. Where the flare had been set off there was a sign that said clock tower so that was where we had gone. Suddenly I saw something out one of the windows so I yipped several times to get Sanji's attention and I jerked my head towards the window.<p>

When he saw what it was he skidded to a stop, dumping me roughly on the ground as he stuck his head out the window.

"Hey!" He called out the window and I picked myself up off the ground. "Nami! Vivi!"

I stuck my head out the window next to him, glancing down at Usopp, Chopper, Nami, and Vivi.

"Why are you both up there!" They yelped at us.

"On the message you left, you wrote 'Clock Tower' so we climbed up!" Sanji replied.

"On the top of the tower, just climb up and finish them!" Usopp called out.

"What should I do?" A voice called from above Sanji and I so we both tilted up heads up at the same time only to see Zoro even further up the clock tower than us. "I've been looking for you guys for quite a while."

"You're here too!" Sanji yelped. "What are you doing up there?"

"Because those marines told me to go North so I climbed up here," He replied. Zoro got directions from the marines…? What the hell?

"North but that's up…" Usopp pointed out before changing his tone. "But that's good! Keep climbing!"

"No," Vivi's voice rang out. Could they make up their mind?

"What?" Usopp gasped at her.

"From where they are, they can't enter into the inners," She explained. "To go there you must use the stairs from ground level."

I sent Sanji a sour look. He had lead us the wrong way the whole time.

"But Zoro can break those walls!" Usopp objected.

"The cannon may not be able to take that much shock," Vivi argued back.

"We still have to go from the stairs!" Vivi said as she got ready to run.

"Wait Vivi!" Nami called out, pointing up to the clock face.

"Heheheheh!"

"Hahahaha!" Voices laughed above us as the clock face slowly swung open.

Sanji and I both turned our heads up to watch tensely.

"Hehehehe, this is out last job," A female voice laughed. I couldn't see who it was though because of the angle I was at.

"Baroque Works Company, middle class worker, Miss Father's Day and Mr. Seven!" A male's voice introduced them.

"In this kind of situation, those two had to appear!" Vivi gasped.

"15 seconds till shooting!" The female's rang out. "Aimed at the centre of the palace grounds… IGNITE!"

* * *

><p><strong>OMAKE<strong>

* * *

><p>The sound of the waves hitting the side of the boat droned in my ears as I laid in the nice warm sun. The rays from the said fire ball of gases were warming me up as I tried to take a nap in the sun. I have nothing better to do during the days of boring sailing, so I usually took a nap or watched the others be idiots.<p>

I heard footsteps tapping across the deck as Nami walked straight past me. She paused for a few seconds before turning back towards me. I slowly cracked open one eye, quirking an eyebrow in her direction as she stared at me.

"You stink," She accused me as she put her hands on her hips.

'_…I'm sorry?_' I muttered to myself as I cracked open my other eye. '_I think the smell comes with being a dog._'

"That's it!" She said as she nodded her head. "You need a bath!"

'_OH HELL NO!_' I protested even if she couldn't hear me. '_Not happening! Nu uh!_'

I quickly pushed myself back up into a sitting position as I sent her a look that clearly said 'NO'. I was met with a look that clearly said she was not about to back down to a dog, her lips pursed.

I saw her chest rise as she took a deep breath in, before she let it out in a huff. She then turned around and walked back inside, her arms crossed over her chest.

Thinking that was the end of that I flopped back down onto the decking again. After a few minutes I slowly started to drift off into fairy land again until I heard the door open. This time I heard two sets of footsteps and… The sloshing of water?

'_HELL NO!_' My eyes snapped open again, my head shooting up to see Nami walking out, Sanji following behind her with a tub of water.

"Where would you like this Nami~" Sanji cooed happily as he followed her like a puppy.

"Just there will be fine," She said, pointing to a random spot on the deck.

"Is there is anything else you need?" He asked eagerly after he had put it down.

"No thank you," Nami dismissed him and Sanji spun off with hearts in his eyes.

'_You… You bloody… Urgh!_' I couldn't bring myself to swear at her as our eyes met again.

"Now, we can do this the hard way or th-" She began to say.

'_Hard way_,' I decided without waiting for her to finish. With that decided I shot up off the ground and took off running.

"HEY!" I heard Nami protest behind me as I shot up the stairs. Once I reached the back platform of the ship I jumped up onto the railing, spinning around and then jumping off the railing and onto the top of the cabin where Nami's trees were.

I looked back down and saw Nami standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at me with a frown on her face.

"LUFFY! ZORO! USOPP! I NEED YOUR HELP!" Nami called out, smirking at me.

'_Oh no she didn't!_' I gaped, taking one step back.

I heard some sound from inside the ship, followed by footsteps as they slowly made their way to the closest door. The door swung open and one by one the three trailed out.

"What's up Nami?" Usopp questioned.

"I need you to help me catch her," Nami said, pointing up at me. "She needs a bath and she is running away."

I saw the guys all look up at me and I took a step back frowning.

'_Oh come on now. That isn't fair_,' I complained.

"Shihi," Luffy laughed. "Mamori has to have a bath."

"Eh? Why do we have to get her for you?" Usopp complained.

Nami just glared at him, causing Usopp to yelp, "O-okay! I'll do it."

"Thank you," Nami smiled sweetly.

'_She devil_,' I accused.

"It can't be that hard to get her down," Zoro sighed as he walked up the steps towards me. Once he reached the top platform he looked up at me and called, "Mamori, come down."

'_Not happening_,' I denied, purposely sticking my tongue out at him. I saw a tick mark form on his forehead.

"Not hard, right?" Usopp snickered as him and Luffy joined Zoro.

"Shut up."

"Hey! Mamori! Come down. I have food!" Luffy called out, smiling up at me.

'_Does he honestly think that will get me down…_' I sighed, quirking a brow at Luffy.

"Idiot!" Usopp hissed, smacking Luffy over the back of the head. "Do you really think that would work?"

"Ehh, why not?" Luffy whined as he clutched the back of his head.

"That would only work on you," Usopp deadpanned, shaking his head.

"Then what about this?" Luffy asked, throwing his rubbery arms up toward me.

With a startled yelp I jumped off the cabin roof, flying over the three boy's heads. My front feet landed on the railing behind them, my hind feet following as I pushed my off of the railing. Landed on the lower deck with a grunt, turning around to see how the guys would react.

"HEY!" Luffy yelled. "COME BACK!"

Luffy jumped straight over the railing after me.

"Oi! Wait for me!" Usopp called out, dashing to the side and running down the stairs. Zoro crossed his arms, still looking annoyed.

'_NOOOOOO!_' I wailed mentally, spinning around dashing off before Luffy got to me. I ran to the front of the boat this time, taking four steps at a time as I ran up them. When I reached the top I heard Luffy start running up the stairs behind me, Usopp right behind him. '_Oh shit… Dead end! There is only one set of steps up to the front of the boat. Urgh! Idiot!_'

There was only one thing I could think of doing, so that is what I did. I kept running forward, jumping up onto the ship figure head. I was not sure if it was really good idea to mess with Luffy's 'Special Seat', but I had no choice.

"You can't run away anymore!" Luffy pointed out as him and Usopp advanced on my spot. I spun around so that I was facing them and started scooting back, hovering over the ocean below.

"Surrender now and no one gets hurts," Usopp added, scary looks on both their faces.

'_YOU WILL NOT TAKE ME ALIVE!_' I protested, taking another step back. My back foot slipped back off the figure head causing me to teeter. I glanced back to see the drop behind me, the hull of the ship cutting through the water like a knife. '_Uhh…_'

"GOT YOU!" Both Luffy and Usopp cried as they pounced on me, arms wide open. With a startled yelp I jumped forward, diving under both of them while they were airborne. I landed on the deck again, flinching as I heard the two idiots collide together.

"OWW!" They both howled as they slid back down onto the deck. I snickered mentally in celebration, dashing back down the one stairway.

'_Haha! Kiss my furry ass! I won that ro-_' I started to celebrate as I reached the bottom of the boat but I was cut off as I was jerked back. I choked as I felt something tighten around my neck, my legs being held above the ground. I glanced to the side to see a smirking Zoro who was holding me up by my bandana. '_ZORO! WHY! How can you be so cruel!_'

"Thank you Zoro," Nami sighed as she walked up to us.

A door banged open loudly and Sanji stuck his head out, "What the hell is with all the noise?"

"Nothing you shitt-" Zoro started to grumbled. Seeing that he was distracted I twisted around a bit, slipping out of my bandana. As soon as my feet hit the ground I shot off. I ran straight to the side of the boat this time, jumping up onto the railing. "OI! What the hell do you think you doing!"

'_Mwhahaha!_' I laughed manically in my head as I jumped straight off the railing, into the sea below. '_I TOLD YOU I WAS NOT BEING TAKEN ALIVE!_'

**SPLASH**

I sunk into the water, closing my eyes as the air bubble exploded around me and I screamed, '_IT'S COOOOLD!_'

The shock that ran through my body at the cold water had me swimming straight back up to the surface. My head broke from the water as I gasped, spluttering in a doggish way.

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled from the deck and I looked up to see everyone sticking their head over the side of the boat. I noticed that the boat was starting to sail away; after all you could not stop suddenly like a boat like you could a car.

'_Ah! Shit! I'm sorry!_' I shivered and began to swim after the boat to catch up, my teeth chattering and my body shaking. '_...It's so damn cold in this water that if I had balls they would have already turned into ovaries!_'

"Luffy, you might wanted to get her," Usopp snickered, finding my obvious discomfort of the cold funny.

"Shihihi!" Luffy laughed as well.

'_Oh yeah, the soggy wet dog in the water is so funny… Just help me you bastard! This was the worst decision ever!_' I growled to myself, noticing that the boat was starting to get further away.

"Luffy, if you don't want that dog to become fish food, you might want to get her," Sanji pointed out.

"Alright," Luffy snickered, flinging out his rubber arm out to me. He latched his hand onto the back of my scruff and pulled me back into towards the boat. I closed my eyes as soon as I felt myself leaving the water, the air chilling me even more.

Luffy wasn't all that careful with my landing and next thing I knew I crashed into the ship's deck. I laid on the deck with a grumble, the water dripping off my coat. I was one wet, embarrassed, and tired dog.

'_I REALLY need to start to thinking things through better... Their idiocy is contagious_,' I groaned, dragging myself to my feet so I could shake myself off.

**BANG**

I flopped back to the deck with a yelp as pain exploded in the back of my head.

"DUMBASS! WHAT MADE YOU THINK YOU COULD JUMP OFF THE BOAT!" Nami shouted at me, towering over my fallen form.

"Shihihi! She looks like a drowned rat!" Luffy continued to laugh, Usopp also snickering.

**BANG**

**BANG**

I was my turn to snicker this time as Luffy and Usopp joined me on the deck, large bumps on their heads as well.

'_Oi! What!_' I yelped as Nami grabbed my scruff and started to drag me along the deck.

"Don't think you are getting out of a bath just because of that charade! It'll just have to be a cold bath because you messed around so much!" Nami hissed like a spitting cat. She then proceeded to pick me up and dump in the barrel of water. I was left spluttering in more cold water.

'_…I don't like you. Devil_,' I muttered, glowering at Nami.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? Do you guys like the idea of occasional Omakes at the end of some of my chapters? Or do you just want me to dump the idea all together?<strong>

**Beta read by praeses**


	34. Food Fight

**Well, here is the next chapter. Thank you all for you comments about the Omake! I'm glad you liked it. I will add one to my chapters every now and then when I think they need them. Also, we are past 300 reviews! That's insane! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, I love you all! **

* * *

><p>"What! Nami! What are we doing!" Usopp screamed at her as Vivi jumped on Chopper's back and Chopper jumped onto Usopp. "We really don't have time! If we keep this up any longer, everyone will die!"<p>

"I know that!" Nami yelled back. "You stay there and don't move! I'm calculating!"

"Don't move? I don't know the meaning of this pose!" Usopp argued. "What are you planning to do?"

"After I do it you'll know!" She said. "Here I go!"

She pulled out her new weapon, positioning it as she called out, "Today's weather is typhoon!"

"13 seconds before shooting!"

"CYCLONE TEMPO!" Nami cried as she flung the weapon at Usopp.

He tried to block but the weapon went straight between his legs before exploding in a swirl of wind that sent Usopp flying up in the air, screaming, with Vivi and Chopper still on his back.

"Chopper! Jump towards Sanji!" Nami ordered.

"So this is the plan? Just keep jumping?" Vivi cried out.

"Sanji! Mamori!" Nami called out to us finally. "You know what to do!"

'_Has anyone told her that dogs were not built to fly…_' I sighed, wishing today was over already. I was still numb and tired mentally and physically from fighting Mr. Six, this is not what I needed.

"I guess I can," Sanji said as he climbed out onto the ledge. I followed him, trying to figure out how this would work. "I just have to try. Mamori, jump on my back."

I grunted, letting him know I had heard him as I jumped onto his back, my front paws hooking over his shoulder to hold myself on.

I watched as Chopper jumped off Usopp's back, flying into the air. Sanji jumped off the ledge with me clinging to him. As Chopper got near us Sanji started to swing around, ready to kick Chopper us higher.

"Mamori! You know what to do," Sanji gritted out and just as he went to kick Chopper up I jumped off him, landing on Vivi who was on Chopper. I had no idea what my job actually was, but I'd soon figure it out. I was slammed down by the force used to push us up.

"ZORO!" Chopper called out and in responses Zoro pulled out his swords. As he jumped off the ledge.

"Okay! Leave it to me!" He replied.

"Swords!" Chopper yelped.

"Stupid, don't worry," He snorted. "I'll use the blunt side. Vivi, be careful, there are strangers up there."

"It's okay, I know!" She gritted out.

Zoro got ready to use his sword to fling us up into the air and I looked up, ready to take my turn in a second. I tensed as I noticed two heads looking over the side of the open clock.

"Haha, Miss Father's Day!" An odd looking male called out.

"Tic Tac, I know. That's the traitor in our company!" The female dressed up as a frog replied.

"It can't be," Vivi gasped.

"WE'VE BEEN FOUND OUT!" Nami screamed from the ground.

"WHAT!" Usopp yelped.

"Wait, they're in the air! If they get hit..." Zoro gasped and I suddenly realized how much trouble that would be if we were hit. I think I just figured out my job…

"Lookie here!" The frog woman said darkly as she and her partner pulled out guns and aimed them at us. "Chance isn't easily gained!"

"You dare to point a gun at Vivi!" Sanji called out as he fell below us.

"No way! Those two are the sniper couple!" Vivi yelled.

I quickly shoved Vivi down fully onto Chopper's back I stood above her, my head turned up to face the people aiming the guns. I let out a loud snarl to let them know what thought, flashing my teeth.

"Zoro!" Vivi's rang out from under me I guarded her with my body. "Just push us up there nevertheless! And Chopper, think of a way to change courses!"

"What! How!" Chopper gasped.

"THERE'S ONLY SEVEN SECONDS LEFT!" Nami screamed up at us.

"HURRY UP!" Usopp sobbed.

"CHOPPER! VIVI! MAMORI!" Zoro called out. "I will push you guys up!"

"Hehehe!"

"Hahaha!"

"Hm!" Vivi and Chopper agreed as I grunted. Bring it on.

**BANG**

I heard the sound of two guns going off and I turned my head up, seeing that two partners had shot at us.

"GO!" Zoro said as he finally flung us all up in the air. I grunted but manage to stay standing, covering Vivi.

"Our bullets…" Miss Frogy said.

"Will explode by bumping each other!" The man finished with a laugh.

**BANG**

I flinched as heard the bullets exploded and Zoro cried out in pain.

'_ZORO_!' I screamed mentally, tempted to jump off to try and help him, but I had a job to do.

"Hahaha! Wanna escape?" Miss Frogy asked.

"There's no way out!" Her partner finished for her.

While they were busy blabbing Chopper had transformed into his large human form, grabbing Vivi and I in different arms. I shared a look with Vivi, nodding my head before Chopper launched us both at the opening of the clock.

"NICE STYLE KILLER BALLER!" They both called as they shot at us again.

"Wha?"

"Who's that?" They asked when they noticed Chopper had changed and Vivi and I weren't there anymore.

**BANG**

The bullets exploded, missing Chopper as he transformed back to his small form.

"Where did Miss Wednesday and the dog go?" Miss Father's Day gasped.

"I don't like this!" Mr. Seven said.

"ABOVE!" They both called at the same time when they noticed Vivi and I in the air. Vivi had pulled out her chains and had them at the ready.

"GO!" The voices from the ground screamed.

"Kujakki String Slasher…" Vivi stared to say as she swooped into the opening with me right behind her. "Run Back!*"

They both ducked under Vivi's expanding chains, aiming their guns at her.

"Haha! Pitiful!"

"We evaded them!"

I smirked as Vivi landed on the edge, the chains swinging back around to smack both of them from behind, sending them flying off the ledge.

'_My turn now!_' I decided, tucking in my head to spin in a circle as I came down. I aimed for the frog, spinning towards her first. At the last second, I uncurled, all four of my feet slamming into her stomach. I heard her gasp under me, a bit of blood flying out of her mouth.

Using her as a platform I jumped up again, tucking into a ball as I aimed at the male this time. Getting prepared for me he crossed his hands over his chest and stomach. I smirked to myself as I uncurled, and instead of using my feet I slammed my forehead on his.

I heard a crack echo in my ears as I slammed my paws into his arm, jumping up in the air again. I aimed the edge of the open clock and just managed to land on the edge, quickly scrambling in.

I glanced in; a huge doggish smile breaking over my face when I saw Vivi had cut the end of the string off in time. We made it!

That smile quickly vanished as I heard the tic tac'ing sound keep echoing around us. Without wasting a second I jump into the room, running straight up to the machine. With my sensitive hearing it didn't take me long to locate exactly where the ticking was coming from on the machine. Down the barrel of the cannon was a huge round bomb with a clock on the front.

Vivi ran to the opening, sticking her head out as she screamed, "NO! THIS IS A TIMED BOMB! IT WILL EXPLODE AT ANY TIME IF IT'S NOT DISASSEMBLED!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" I heard the others call up.

Vivi scrambled back inside, walking up beside me as she slammed her hands on the rim of the cannon.

"We finally found and stopped it! But he leaves another way to fire the bomb!" She cried out as she fell to her knees. I had to no way to comfort her this time so I just stared on sadly. Did it really all come down to this? We were meant to win this thing! "When will he be satisfied with playing with others' lives! How much longer will he taunt us all! CROCODILE!"

I tensed as I heard feet landing on the opening of the clock tower. I spun around, coming face to face with some man dressed in robes much like Vivi's.

"This place holds a lot of memories. It's the Sand Sand Group's secret base," He said remorsefully as I watched him cautiously, trying to figure out if he was good or bad.

"Pell…" Vivi interrupted.

"Really, you were such a noisy child… You gave me a headache almost every day."

"Pell! Listen!" Vivi yelled at him. "It's a time bomb! It's going to explode soon!"

"Princess Vivi… I am very pleased that I was able to serve your family," He said as a huge smile broke over his face. I felt like I was intruding a very personal moment, bomb or not. "It's something from the depths of my heart that I am so proud of."

Next thing I knew the man had transformed into a bird and he quickly snagged the handle of the bomb inside the cannon and he lifted it into the sky, flapping his wings.

'_What is he planning…!_' I gasped in horror, my eyes going wide.

I saw Vivi run forward, trying to reach for him as he flew off. I quickly jumped forward, snagging the back of her coat to hold her back.

**BANG**

The sound echoed around the whole area, they sky lighting up as the bomb exploded. Vivi gasped in horror, staring at the sky where she had last seen her friend. Her horror grew even more when she noticed that the fighting had not stopped… It was still going.

"Stop! Stop fighting!" She yelled. "PLEASE EVERYONE! STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING EVERYONE!"

I folded my ears back against my skull as she kept yelling, by now I had let go of her coat and had stepped up next to her, leaning against her leg as we looked down below us.

"PLEASE EVERYONE STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE EVERYONE STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE EVERYONE STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE EVERYONE… STOP FIGHTING!" She screamed over and over again as a stared numbly at the ground. What was I meant to do?

She suddenly stopped staring at the sky with an open mouth. I looked up only to see Crocodile flying up into the air. This only seemed to make things worse though as Vivi dropped to her hands and her knees besides me, digging her nails into the ground until they bled.

"There are no more enemies…" She whispered. "So please stop the bloodshed… PLEASE EVERYONE! STOP THIS FIGHT!"

**Drip**

Something landed on my nose.

**Drip**

**Drip**

**Drip**

More drops fell from the sky and for the first time I realized what it was. It was rain. Vivi lifted up her hand, catching a drop of rain in her hand. She just stared at it before looking out over the battle field as she noticed the fighting had started to stop.

"EVERYONE PLEASE! STOP FIGHTING!" She cried again, her voice starting to go hoarse.

My head perked up as I noticed a lot of the fighters lowered their weapons and looked up to Vivi.

"THE RAIN RIGHT NOW WILL FALL AGAIN LIKE BEFORE," She called out, tears gathering in her eyes. "BECAUSE ALL THE NIGHTMARES HAVE ENDED!"

"WAIT!" The crowd roared back. "THE NIGHTMARE HAS NOT ENDED YET! WE SAW WITH OUR OWN EYES WHAT THE KING HAS DONE IN NAHAN!"

"KOZHA WAS ATTACKED TOO! WHAT THE LOYAL ARMY DID CANNOT BE FORGIVEN WITH AN APOLOGY!"

"HOW DO YOU SAY SUCH THINGS TO THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES!"

"PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS LOYAL ARMY!" A voice called out as someone stepped onto the wall of the palace grounds.

"Chaka…" Vivi panted.

"YOU-" A voice started to say but was cut off by a cough. "YOU PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS TOO, UPRISING ARMY!"

"MR. I-IGARAM!"

"CAPTAIN!"

"IGARAM?" Vivi gasped. Even my own eyebrows rose when I saw the person who was meant to be dead. He was carrying a little boy in his arms that seemed injured.

"IGARAM! YOU CAME BACK SAFELY!" Chaka called out.

"He's that weird guy in Whiskey Island!" I heard Zoro yelp from below us. "He's still alive?"

"Can you still talk kid?" Igaram asked the kid in his arms as everyone watched on.

"Yes…" His voice answered unsurely.

"He's that kid from Nahan!" One of the rebel soldiers pointed out.

"The one who got attacked by the loyal army," Another one added.

"No!" The young boy objected. "Someone else attacked me! Listen everyone, I saw it all! The loyal army that attacked in Nahan were just fakes! The king was fake too! It was all a trap!"

"Right," A man said as he pushed himself up off the ground. "This battle was planned from the beginning."

"KOZHA!" A man yelped and rushed over to help him up.

"Everything about this incident, I will now explain clearly," Igaram called out. "Now, put your weapons down!"

Slowly, one by one everyone put their weapons on the ground. It was then that Vivi jumped back up, spinning around and rushing towards stairs that I had not noticed before. Without thinking I quickly followed her, running down all the stairs right on her heels. I could hear her panting harshly over my own panting and I knew she could not go on much longer and neither could I with my injuries. The wound in my side was giving my hell and my shoulder was starting to seize up.

It took a few minutes to clear all the stairs and when Vivi reached the bottom she didn't stop. She ran up to a set of door and pushed one open, running out.

"Where…" She gasped as we both looked around, wide eyed. "Where is everyone!"

I had to quickly choke back my panic when I saw they weren't in sight. The rain was washing away their smell so I couldn't follow them either.

"I know!" Vivi gasped and took off running again. Without a sound I followed her, panic filling me as I thought of what could have happened to my friends. I was still mentally unstable about my fight with Mr. Six. I didn't need to see anyone else die. Maybe I was still in his world after all? Maybe Vivi was about to turn on me.

I sent her a suspicious look out of the corner of my eye and I dropped back to run a few meters behind her. I was not about to take a chance.

Seeing that I'd dropped back, Vivi turned her head around and called out. "Mamori? Are you okay?"

I stared quietly at her for one second before looking away and refusing to meet her eyes.

"Mamori…" I heard her whisper as she turned around to face the front and kept running. "We'll find them, don't worry! I'm sure they are all safe!"

I made no sounds yet again. She had half guessed my reason for being silent but she knew not about the other half of my reason. It's probably better that way…

* * *

><p>I wasn't long until we caught up to the others, my fur now soaked from the rain as I ran behind Vivi the whole way, mentally fighting myself.<p>

"Everyone!" Vivi gasped as they finally came into sight, Luffy was also there with an old man. "Papa!"

"Pa... Papa! You're Vivi's dad?" Sanji exclaimed, his jaw dropping.

"You're the king?" Zoro questioned the man.

A few minutes passed as some things were explained but I couldn't be bothered listening to them. When Luffy was put down on the ground with his head leaning up against a wall I slunk over to him. He was covered in all sorts of injures and had blood all over him. I sniffed him for a few seconds. He smelt real. I looked at him unsurely for a few seconds before I sighed and shook my head. I gently crawled into his lap, curling up there and resting my head against his chest so I could hear him breathe.

When I heard him take a few breaths and I was satisfied he was okay I closed my eyes. It didn't take long for my consciousness to finally slip away, letting me melt away from the pain of my body and my mind.

* * *

><p>I was the first to wake up out of all the others. The sun was rising as it cast a soft light around the room that I was now in. I looked around in confusion, how did I get here? I wiggled around, noticing that I was in a bed. It had been a while.<p>

I felt the annoying feeling of bandages wrapped in random places on me, causing me to frown. Really? Again? I sighed before I snuggled further into the soft blankets, curling myself into a cocoon. My muscles and injuries protested slightly but I mentally told them to shove off and then ignored them.

As I laid there my brain was working more than I wanted it too. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Mr. Six.

'_What if Kayle or Mom really was in trouble? How would I know? I don't even know what they are doing right now. Have they been thinking about me… About me being in the mental hospital? They wouldn't even know what happened to me… Would mom be happy at me being a pirate if she knew?_' I asked myself all these questioned but I couldn't give myself and answer for any of them.

I wasn't back home to look after them, what if something happens to them? Car accident? Sickness? Robbery? Anything could happen and I wouldn't know. I'd been so caught up in how awesome this whole adventure was that I forgot about the others around me that it affected.

But what if I got the chance to leave… Would I really leave these guys? Could I? What would it do to them if I left?

'_Would my mother be proud of me?_' I then let a bitter snort escape my nostrils. '_Hell no. She would be devastated. She raised me to be a good citizen, not a… Killer…_'

In the end I got so worked up about my thoughts that I wiggled out of my sheets, jumping off the bed. I grunted in pain, as I arched my back. Goodness I was stiff and sore. I took one last look at all my friends before I trotted over to the door.

Someone had left the door partly open so I pushed it far enough for me to have room to slip out before closing it behind me. I looked around, figuring that we must be in the palace.

I set off at a trot down the hallway, quickly getting lost at how many turns and dead ends I came across. When my nose finally caught a whiff of fresh air I headed straight to it, following my instincts to get out.

When I reached fresh air and got outside I managed to relax some. I saw a bare courtyard with white tiles, one bench, and one tree that looked rather happy about the rain that it had just had. I wanted to stay outside and I wanted to be by myself so I walked straight over the tree, taking a running jump at it. I bounced off the trunk, landing up the neatly in the tree branches. I quickly got myself settled down, lying along a branch as I tried to sort out my thoughts yet again.

* * *

><p>When it got dark I finally decided I'd better go back inside. I jumped out of the tree with a forlorn sigh, dropping my nose to the ground so I could follow my scent back to the room. It didn't take me long this time because I didn't have to do a lot of guess work.<p>

As soon as a walked in the door I assaulted by a very worried Chopper.

"Where have you been! When we woke up you weren't here! I haven't even had a chance to check over your injuries!" He stared to lecture me, obviously worried.

'_Sorry_,' I replied simply as I cut him off from his rant. _'I needed to go for a walk. You can check my injuries now if you like?_'

"Ah! Right! Just let me get my stuff!" He said, switching into doctor mode before running off to collect something.

* * *

><p>That night when I tried to sleep I couldn't. Whenever I closed my eyes images of what happen to Kayle and my mother kept flashing through my head. Kayle, with the knife in his chest. The sound of his scream echoed through my head, causing me to shiver. Either that or I saw my mother's head lying on the steering wheel, black blood running down her face as she turned it around to glare at me with her red eyes.<p>

I tossed and turned in the bed in frustration and when I finally drifted off things got worse. Next I started to see imagines of my friends suddenly turning on me. My body started to shake as scenarios played out in my head.

First was Luffy, wrapping him rubber arms around me and constricting me to death. The next was Zoro, slicing me up with his swords. Nami poisoned my food and fed it too me. Usopp shot me with one of his bullets that burnt me alive. Sanji kicked me and snapped my spine. Vivi started crying about something and when I tried to comfort her she stabbed me in the heart. Chopper injected me with something that turned me crazy and I ended up tearing myself up.

Suddenly my eyes shot open as I rocketed straight up in my bed, my whole body was shaking. My sides heaved as I panted, my eyes flickering around to room to all my sleeping friends. Would they really do that to me?

The sound of my heart beating echoed in my ears as I jumped down from the bed, trotting over to the door. I kept glancing back over my shoulder because something in my screamed that I shouldn't turn my back on them.

When I reached the door I began to shove it open only to be cut off by a voice.

"Where are you going?" Zoro's voice questioned as he sat up in bed.

My head shot back around, my eyes wide as I stared at the swordsman. I watch him quietly, my eyes flickering over him. He didn't seem like he was in a position to attack. I looked up to meet his eyes and I noticed how much he was scrutinizing me. I had to drop my gaze back to the ground, not game enough to meet his eyes any longer.

"Be careful at least, the Marines are swarming over the city like ants," Zoro said before laying back down in bed.

I didn't wait; I slipped straight out, intent on going for a run to get rid of my nerves.

* * *

><p>"WHOAAAAAAH!" I very loud voice woke me up from my daze of staring at the wall. "I SLEPT VERY WELL!"<p>

I lifted my head up, glancing at a now awake Luffy from my place on my bed. I hadn't gotten any sleep at all the last few nights. Whenever I closed my eyes the images wouldn't stop and while they were still there so was my doubt. I waited until everyone was asleep every night before sneaking off and doing something to keep my mind occupied, which mostly included running till I could not walk another step.

"Huh! Hat? My hat?" Luffy asked when he felt his bare head. "I feel very hungry! Where's my breakfast and my hat!"

"This guy is really noisy when he wakes up!" Sanji sighed. "Also… It's not breakfast time. It's dinner time."

"Your hat is just there, the guard found it for you!" Usopp said, pointing to Luffy's hat which right next to him on a bench.

"Wow!" Luffy cheered as he put his hat back on his head. "Thanks!"

"Luffy, it's good to see you in such high spirits…" Vivi laughed from next to him. She was sitting on a chair next to his bed and had been looking after him the last few days.

"High spirits?" Luffy questioned her. "I am like this all the time aren't I?"

By now I had dropped my head back onto my bed, quietly watching the interactions throughout the room.

"You idiot, you had a fever and your condition was pretty serious!" Nami scolded him.

"Really?" He yelped.

I heard the door creak open and flicked my eyes over in time to see Zoro stroll in.

"What, Luffy, you're awake?" He asked.

"Aaah! Zoro! Long-time no see!" Luffy greeted him and then repeated himself. "Long time no see?"

"AH! HEY!" Chopper cried out, running up to Zoro as he tipped some sand out of his shoes. "Don't tell me you went training again!"

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked. "It's my problem."

"No is a no! I am the ship doctor! Don't take the bandages off!" Chopper lectured him.

"It's hard to move with them in the way!" Zoro argued.

"It's so that you won't move!" Chopper cried back.

"Long time no see?" Luffy asked again in confusion, his head tilted to the side.

"It's not weird he became like that," Usopp said. "You slept for three days."

"3 DAYS!" He exclaimed. "I SLEPT FOR THREE DAYS?"

I scrunched up my nose; I liked my hearing as it was thank you.

He seemed to be thinking about something before it clicked. "I MISS 15 MEALS!"

"How can you count those kind of things so fast?" Nami sighed.

"And he counted 5 meals a day!" Usopp pointed out.

"Hahaha," Vivi laughed. "I already asked for the dinner to be prepared, don't worry!"

"The captain had just woken up. It will take another 30 minutes for dinner to be ready, will you all please wait?" A walking replica of a female Igaram walked in the door, a person pushing a huge cart of food in the background. "It will be better if we all ate together!"

"HEY!" Zoro leaned away from her, shock covering his face.

"What! Hey uncle! You're still alive!" Luffy cried out.

"You… So you're into these…?" Zoro questioned her.

"You all misunderstood. She is Terracotta, Igaram's wife, also this palace's head servant," Vivi informed us.

"Thank you for looking after Princess Vivi and Igaram," Terracotta said.

"There should be a limit as to how similar a couple should be," Zoro said.

"I heard that one of you eats a lot before dinner; please enjoy these fruit first, okay?" She asked as the cart was pushed over to Luffy.

In one blink all the food from the cart was gone and Luffy was patting his stomach, "I understand."

"IS THIS MAGIC!" Both Sanji and Zoro yelped, their jaws dropping as they looked at him.

"Auntie! I want three days' worth of food!" Luffy yelled out.

"Don't worry! I have worked for 30 years. I won't disappoint your appetite, just eat your fill!" She replied.

I groaned. She had no idea what she just got herself into.

* * *

><p>Not much later everyone was seated at a huge table in the main hall. There was a lot of noise echoing around the place as everyone fought over food and stuffed their faces.<p>

I was sitting between Zoro and Usopp, watching with wide eyes as a battle for food went on. The only people eating normally were Sanji, Nami and myself. Vivi, her father and Igaram were all getting too much fun out of watching us eat to eat themselves.

I had my front paws on the table, lazily chewing a hunk of meat that was on still on a bone. I wasn't really that hungry so I was watching the other more than worrying about eating.

"Eat! Finish them faster!" Zoro urged Chopper as she stuffed lots of noodles down his throat.

"Oi, oi, why are you eating so fast?" Sanji commented to Chopper.

"Hey! Luffy! You just took my plate!" Usopp yelled as Luffy's rubber arms stretched out to grab stuff from every point of the table.

"I want more!" Luffy called, chewed bits of food flying from his mouth.

"Don't spit food everywhere!" Nami scolded, smacking him over the head.

"There is still a lot!" Vivi called out, sweat dropping.

"Take this Luffy! This is my super-hot chili!" Usopp hissed as he poured chili on a rice ball.

Sure enough, a few seconds later Luffy devoured the thing only to cry out as flames rushed out of his mouth.

"HAHA!" Usopp laughed. "You really are stupid!"

"What's this dish?" Sanji asked one of the cooks, pointing to his food.

"This is called Konaafa, it's baked noodles," A cook gladly answered.

"It's nice," Nami commented

"Can I have more beer?" Zoro called out, holding out his mug.

"I need water!" Sanji called out when he noticed Chopper was choking from eating too fast.

After a while I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face. I may be in a broody mood but this is funny as hell.

After they had finally finished the meal and calmed down it was announced they were going to the baths next. I quickly excused myself by telling Chopper I felt tired and wanted to sleep. Of course Chopper, being the doctor he is, immediately agreed and told me to a have nice nap.

I had thanked him before I walked off to go wander around the palace grounds some more.

* * *

><p>"Tonight?"<p>

"Yes."

"Leaving here…"

"I think this is the right time to go, what do you think?" Zoro asked. We were all back in a room now, discussing leaving.

"Oh yeah, the Marines have started moving too," Sanji decided to add in.

"Luffy, it's up to you," Usopp informed him.

"Right! We should have another Alabastan meal before me go!" Luffy decided to declare as I rolled my eyes.

"We must go now idiot!" Nami yelled, smacking him over the back of the head.

Someone knocked on the door and walked in with a Den Den Mushi.

"There is a snail call for you," He said, holding it out.

"Snail call…?" Luffy asked. "Who?"

"It's someone called Lil' Bon Bon," The servant replied.

"Huh?" Luffy mumbled. "Lil' Bon Bon? Who is that?"

"How should I know?" Usopp replied.

I furrowed my brows, trying to remember if we knew someone called Bon Bon. It couldn't be Bon Clay could it?

"But, he says he's your friend…" Nami pointed out.

"Forget it, just listen to him!" Luffy laughed.

"Better not, might be a trap," Zoro pointed out.

The man placed the Den Den Mushi on the end of my bed because it was closest to him and Sanji walked up. I sat up on the bed, watching the snail curiously. Sanji lifted up the receiver, getting ready to talk into it.

"HEY! HEY! GYAHAHAHA! IT'S ME! OKAMA!" A loud voice screamed out of the snail phone so loud and suddenly that I yelped, jumping. I slipped right of the bed when my feet got twisted in the sheets, landing on my back on the ground with my legs in the air. "O-KA-MA!"

I blinked owlishly as I heard Sanji put the receiver back down, making a sour face.

**Bring**

**Bring**

**Bring**

**Bring**

The phone rung again straight away.

"WHAT IS WITH YOU!" Sanji yelled at the snail.

I rolled over, lifting myself back to my feet as Luffy swapped his bed for mine so he could talk on the phone.

"Hey! You're that okama!" Luffy said, picking it up. "What do you want from us?"

"Wha? Isn't this Straw Hat Luffy? You're alive! Okama is so happy!" Bon Clay's voice came out of the Den Den Mushi. "Don't call me Mr. Two, the Marines might have tapped the phone and I might get into trouble."

"You just said it yourself…" Chopper point out.

"Get straight to the point!" Zoro complained, his arms crossed.

"Oh yeah. Your boat, I took it away," Bon admitted.

I jumped back onto the bed next to Luffy, barking angrily into the receiver as everyone else screamed, "DON'T JOKE AROUND!"

"YOU GAY BASTARD! PULLING SUCH A JOKE! WHERE ARE YOU NOW!" Sanji yelled.

"Aboard your ship of course," Was his calm reply.

"This okama really pisses me off!" Luffy exclaimed, looking ready to strangle the phone... Er, snail.

"Wait! Listen to me first!" Mr. Two said. "Aren't we friends?"

Mr. Two quickly explained where we could meet him. Well, he explained what he could while everyone yelled at him.

"That okama is at the upstream of Sandora River," Luffy said as he put the receiver back down.

"Can we trust him?" Sanji asked.

"We are friends," Was Luffy's reply.

"You have a problem," Zoro said, sweating dropping.

"But…We have to look first," Chopper pointed out.

"That's right," Sanji said. "Our boat is with him now. If this is a trick, we'll just have to kill him."

"It's decided then," Zoro concluded. "Let's pack up!"

Everyone quickly stood up and started getting ready. I didn't having anything to pack. All my possessions were on me. The knife, my bandana and the rose. Oddly enough I had not lost it yet.

"Everyone…" Vivi called out. "Please tell me… What should I do?"

"Vivi! Listen up! We'll give you 12 hours," Nami told her. "We'll get out ship back at Sandora River. Then, at midday tomorrow exactly, we will pass through the East coast. I'm afraid that we can't stop there, but, if you'd like to come to travel with us again… That's the only time you can come aboard! When it's time, we'll welcome you. But, it's a pirate's adventure. Because you're a princess, we can only do it that way."

While Nami had been talking everyone had finished packing and a rope had been thrown out one of the windows so we could escape without being noticed. I stood on the bed, shaking out my fur as I ambled up to Vivi. I brushed my head against her leg to say goodbye for now.

"You must come, okay Vivi?" Luffy said.

"Luffy! Don't be like that!" Nami hissed.

* * *

><p>The dust was kicked up behind us as the ducks that we were riding ran along at a fast pace. My coat fluttered around me as I was rocked with the motion of the duck I was riding. It was good to see that he got out of the battle alright in the end.<p>

"Hmm, this is comfortable," Zoro commented, from next to me as he crossed his arms.

"We're going to say goodbye to the Sand Kingdom, I won't forget this battle…" Usopp sobbed but then snapped around to Luffy. "Hey! Luffy! When are you going to finish eating?"

"The food from Alabasta is great!" Luffy argued as he stuffed his face. "Sanji, next time, cook them!"

"I planned to, that's why I asked Terracotta for some recipes and spices," Sanji replied.

"Nami? Are you okay?" Chopper asked, causing my head to snap around to Nami automatically to see if she was alright. "Are you feeling unwell?"

Nami just frowned, saying nothing.

"Nami, I'll give you one of my meats!" Luffy said, trying to get her to cheer up. "But just one, okay?"

"Nami, you're thinking about Vivi? I understand your feelings… But however worried you are it's still useless," Sanji said. Then mention of Vivi had my ears and tail drooping, I can't believe she may be leaving. "Get your spirits up, Vivi won't want to see you troubled."

"I've… Thought about it…" Nami started to say as she lifted up her head. "I forgot that 10 billion beli."

Cue a shock moment where everyone's jaws drop, mine included.

"YOU ARE A REAL NATURAL MONEY LOVING WITCH!" Zoro yelled at her.

"SINCE THE BEGINNING IT WAS FOR THE MONEY?" Luffy joined in the yelling.

"ARGH! USOPP FELL OFF!" Chopper cried.

* * *

><p>*Peacock String Slasher Run Back<p>

**Beta read by praeses**


	35. Monkey Man

**I noticed a lot comments on Mamori's down turn in her behaviour. Don't worry too much, she won't be like that forever. :) Enjoy~**

* * *

><p>"Why did you make me wait so long?" Bon Clay called out as we stopped in front of our boat. "Long time no see! Were you all thinking about me?"<p>

We all ignored him, dismounting from our ducks and wishing them farewell. I jumped down, my paws landing in the sand as I slipped out of my coat again. I then turned around to my new friend to farewell him.

'_Thank you for all your help my friend_,' I thanked him, bowing my head. '_If you ever need anything, let me know_.'

'_It's no problem dude, just come back and visit sometime!_' He replied.

'_I'll see what I can do_,' I smirked, reaching forward to lick the end of his beak.

"QUACK!" They all called out as they ran off, ready to head back home.

"TAKE CARE!" Everyone yelled back at them.

We all turned around only to see Bon Clay crying and waving to the ducks as well.

"Good bye!" He sobbed. "If we're destined to, we'll meet again!"

"No, that's not right!" Bon said suddenly, slamming his for down. "Wait a second!"

"What the hell?" Sanji asked.

"What's this! Old friends meeting and you don't say hi!" Mr. Two called out.

"Who's friends with you? You're and enemy," Luffy pointed out.

"WAAAH!" Mr. Two called out. "THAT TIME WAS MY MISTAKE!"

"Hmph! Forget it…That's in the past. Let's forget about it!" He said.

"Move," Zoro order as he walked up the steps on the ship to board it. I was right at his heels, glaring at the okama.

"Ah, sorry," He said. "Baroque Works disbanded, we are not enemies anymore!"

Once on board I waddled over to the mast, sitting down next to it as I glared at the Okama's back.

"Even if you're not our enemy, I don't have to let you on board," Luffy pointed out as everyone else slowly boarded the ship one by one.

"Hn!" Bon huffed. "And this is what I get for doing you a favor. Think about it. If I didn't move this ship away, what would have happened to it?"

"It would probably have got confiscated by the Marines," Nami said as she boarded the ship.

"Not probably! Certainly! It nearly got taken away! You know what it's like around here. It's totally covered by the Marines. Understand me? Covered! Even a goose will have trouble escaping," Mr. Two exclaimed.

"Then you took the Going-Merry so the Marines wouldn't get it?" Luffy gasped and by now everyone was on the main deck of the ship.

"Really?" Usopp cried.

"Why?" Chopper joined in.

"Because we are…" Bon started to say, tears leaking out of his eyes. "Friends aren't we?"

Next thing I knew the four of them had linked arms and were dancing around the deck again. Major deja vu.

"You're really a good guy after all!" Luffy called out, kicking his legs.

"Is there anymore luggage?" Nami asked Sanji as he walked past me.

"No, that was the last one," Sanji replied, ignoring the idiots.

"So in short, it's because of the Marines that you aren't able to get away?" Zoro asked him suddenly. "That's why you came for help, right?"

"That's right!" Bon sobbed. "This is the time when enemies should get together to bust out of this situation!"

"WOOOO!" Chopper, Usopp and Luffy cheered.

"We thank you for the offer!" A lot of voices called out and for the first time I noticed that Bon's ship was behind us.

"WHO CARES ABOUT YOU ALL!" Zoro yelled.

* * *

><p>"DAMN IT! JUST FIRE THE CANNON!" Luffy ordered.<p>

We had gotten out of the river only to come face to face with a bunch of marine ships. They had been shooting some weird sort of harpoons at us that were now all imbedded in the ship. so much for a smooth get away.

"I WILL BOUNCE THEM BACK!" Luffy yelled. "DON'T JOKE AROUND ANYMORE!"

"IF ALL THESE METAL SPEARS BREAK THE HULL, THE SHIP WILL SINK IN NO TIME!" Zoro pointed out.

I hovered around Nami, walking circles around her. I couldn't do any long distance fighting, so the least I could do was protect the navigator while she directed our course.

"IT'S COMING!" She yelled.

"Bastards!" Luffy yelled.

"Guh!" Zoro grunted as he pulled out a sword.

"Eat this!" Bon howled.

"I must think of something!" Sanji gritted out.

At the same time all four of them deflected a harpoon that was aimed at the ship, sending them flying into the water.

"You all must think of something!" Nami yelled down at them from the front deck.

"Hey! I can't cover any more holes!" Chopper yelled.

"Protecting each side isn't very effective!" Bon pointed out.

"They have eight boats against us. It's unfair!" Luffy yelled. "If it's a hand to hand fight we could do it!"

"This is the Black Jail Troops' famous Black Spear," A voice from one of the Marine ships called out.

"You won't be able to break this formation, stupid!" Another voice joined in.

I blinked as I realized it was Jango and that pink haired ass that got Luffy in trouble at the Baratie. My nose crinkled in distaste as I flicked my tail, still watching over Nami.

"Hey! Hypnotizer! Aren't you a pirate too?" Luffy yelled at him.

"Who is the one on the left..?" Sanji muttered.

"We meet again… That bloody violent chef… And those guys! I will sink you all today!" Pinky called out. "I'm much stronger now!"

"Today I will show you all, I am not a monster," Jango said. "Come, look at this circle… Okay?"

**BANG**

I jumped as Usopp shot the cannon, successfully blowing up one ship. It then started to tilt over, taking out another marine ship with it.

'_Two down_!' I cheered.

"Usopp! You're great!" Luffy hailed him.

"Holy God…" Usopp mumbled as he stared at what he done. "Ah! That's right! It's all according to my calculations! Didn't expect that, did you!"

"Well done long nose!" Bon added. "Well done! Now sink those on the South! And let's rush towards that direction!"

"Mr. Bon Clay, bad news!" Two of Bon's men said.

"What is it?" He yelled.

"It's Black Cage!" They said.

"What does the mean?" Luffy asked.

"Black Cage Hina! She is the commander of the marines around here!" Bon panicked. "We better run! She's a tough one! What are you doing! Let's go! If we head south we still have a chance at getting away. If we go forwards we will sink!"

"You all just go which way you want!" Luffy replied. "We go this way!"

"BUT WHY!" He exclaimed.

"We have a meeting at 12 on the coast," Nami sighed next to me. "We have no time left. We must go."

"Hey! Really troublesome…" Bon huffed. "Is there any treasure there worth waiting for? Just go and die for all I care!"

"We are going there to pick up our friend!" Luffy replied confidently.

"Mr. Bon Clay?" His crew cried when he posed instead of running away.

"If we run away now, we're not worthy of being Okama!" He called out to his crew, crying yet again. "If we're not able to sacrifice ourselves to help our friends…We can't rest in peace! Straw Hat Luffy and the rascals. Listen to me carefully."

* * *

><p>"Three minutes!" Nami said as she we split off from Bon's ship, sailing off. "Go! Full speed ahead!"<p>

We watched back at Bon's ship as they engaged Hina. They fought with all they had but their ship soon caught alight with flames and began to sink as everyone watched. My ears had dropped to the said as I stared silently back their way.

'_Why would he do that for us… It wasn't his problem…_' I mumbled to myself. '_Maybe he wasn't that bad after all…'_

"BON BON!" Usopp, Luffy, Chopper, and Sanji called out. "WE… WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU!"

I ran up to the back up the boat, placing my front feet on the railing. I then tilted my head back, letting out a sorrowful howl echo over the sea.

'_Thank you Bon… You just may be a decent guy after all…_' I thought to myself.

* * *

><p>I threw my head into one of the marine's stomach, shoving them off the side of our boat. Without stopping I kicked back with my feet, nailing another on the groin.<p>

It hadn't been long before marine ships had caught up to us and had tried to board us. We didn't stop sailing though; we just kept shoving them off as we sailed on.

I jumped up fully on the railing, running along it as I headed for another marine. I grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him over the side as well.

When I looked around I noticed that the ship next to us had begun sinking and Luffy called out, "GET LOST ALL OF YOU!"

'_We need to hurry up!_' I growled.

* * *

><p>"Did you hear that?" Zoro said. "The speech right now, it's definitely Vivi's voice."<p>

We had finally got away from the marine's and made it to our meeting point but there was no sign of Vivi. We did hear the end of a speech in Vivi's voice come over the speakers though.

"Vivi…" Chopper sighed, hanging off the rail.

'_I wonder if she really is going to come…?'_ I sighed next to Chopper as I sat on the railing.

"It's the ceremony at Alubarna," Sanji point out. "Seems like she decided not to come…"

"It just sounds like Vivi, that's all," Luffy denied.

"Let's go…" Nami sighed finally. "It's almost 12 already."

"She will come! I know it!" Luffy argued causing me to frown. "She is definitely over there! Let's dock and look for her!"

"Hey! Bad news! The Marines caught up with us!" Usopp yelled from the back of the boat.

"How many are there?" Zoro asked.

"Let's sail now! Full speed ahead!" Nami cried out.

"Forget it Luffy," Sanji said. "She is different from the Vivi that was with us."

Luffy didn't reply, he only kept staring on the horizon. Everyone quickly snapped into action and got the ship ready to sail off again. I just sat quietly next to Luffy as he continued to stare out the front of the boat as it was turned around. Just as we were sailing off a voice called suddenly for our attention.

"EVERYONE!"

"VIVI!" Luffy called out as we all ran to the back of the boat. I took a short cut and just ran along the railing, balancing like a cat would. I was not scared of falling, the water had never hurt me. My claws clicked on the railing as they meet with the wood, my tail held about behind me to act as a stabilizer.

"CARUE?" Usopp yelped as well.

I quickly reached the back of the ship, still standing on the railing as I looked back to land. There was two figures on the edge of the shore now. They both waved cheerily from the shore, big smiles on their faces. It was Vivi and Carue. I let out several loud barks to greet them, my tail wagging as I threw my head up in the air.

"Look! She came!" Luffy yelled happily. "Let's turn back!"

"Vivi!" Sanji cooed.

"The Marines are closing in!" Zoro informed us.

"I CAME TO SAY GOODBYE!" Vivi yelled from the shore.

"What… Did you say..?" Luffy muttered.

Vivi quickly grabbed something and when she spoke this time it came out of the speakers.

"I… I CAN'T GO WITH YOU ALL! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! EVEN THOUGH I STILL WANT TO GO WITH YOU, RIGHT NOW, I REALLY LOVE THIS COUNTRY! SO, I CAN'T COME!" She called out to us.

"Really?" Luffy asked, actually smiling at her.

"I-" She started to say as she began to cry. "EVEN THOUGH I WANT TO STAY HERE… IF THERE IS ONE DAY WE MEET EACH OTHER AGAIN, WILL YOU TAKE ME AS YOUR FRIEND?"

"NO MATTER WHAT WE-" Luffy started to say but was cut off as Nami grabbed him and pulled him back. He turned to her in confusion, frowning.

"We shouldn't answer her!" Nami scolded him. "The Marine's already saw her. If they found out we're friends they will mark Vivi as a criminal."

All at once everyone turned away from Vivi, even I turned my head away from her but I stayed on the railing.

'_Fucking marines…_' I snarled quietly.

Then, at the same time everyone pulled down the bandages on their arms and flashed the X's we had drawn on ourselves. I just slipped my bandage down and left my paw resting on the railing, my eyes closed. Slowly I began to tilt my head back, letting out a long howl to farewell Vivi as well.

"AROOOOOOOOOOO…"

We had now lost another friend. Why did everyone have to leave in the end…?

I slowly stopped the howl, dropping my head back down to a normal level as I finally got a chance to think. I knew nothing of the future past this point in time… Would that matter? What if someone was going to die and I did not know about it? I felt more blind than a mole.

I sighed to myself, shaking my head again as I tried to calm myself down. Being back on the boat seemed to settle me down a bit. I finally felt somewhat safe and guarded. And it was about that time I noticed how tired I was. I hadn't slept for a few days so I lot of catching up to do.

I jumped off the railing, landing on the deck before trotting down the lower level of the ship. I then ambled up the mast, dropping myself to the ground next to it and curling up in a ball.

In less than three seconds my mind slipped off into a tired dreamless sleep that my body so badly needed.

* * *

><p>"ENEMY ON BOARD! ENEMY ON BOARD!" Usopp's loud called had me springing straight up to my feet, my mind switching back on.<p>

"AHHH!" Chopper yelled. "Who is she?"

My head shot around for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on. Then, my eyes landed on Miss All Sunday.

'_How the hell did she get on the boat_?' I yelped, slipping into an attack position. I was not the only one, Zoro and Nami had also pulled out their weapons and aimed them towards the stowaway.

"What…?" Luffy asked calmly. "It's you! You're not dead?"

"Don't point these dangerous things at me," She said calmly as hands appeared on Zoro, Nami, and I. They slapped the weapons out of their grip and a hand wrapped it's around my muzzle. I snarled in protest, throwing my head up to try and get it off. "Didn't I tell you that before?"

"When did you board the ship?" Nami yelled at her.

When I stopped struggling the hand around my muzzle disappeared, allowing me to breathe properly again as I glared at her. Bitch had just tried to strangle me!

"I was here the whole time in the cabin reading a book and taking a bath," She said. "These clothes, are they yours? Lend them to me."

"What are you doing!" Nami raged.

"Monkey D. Luffy," Robin addressed our captain. "You didn't forget what you said did you?"

"Ahhh! Hey Luffy! What did you say to this beautiful lady!" Sanji yelled as he grabbed Luffy and shook him. While all this drama was going on I quickly slipped over to Zoro's side. He seemed to be the calmest about this; he'd know what to do.

"Hey! Don't lie!" Luffy objected as Ms. Sunday walked across the deck and pulled something out of a cupboard. "I didn't say anything to you!"

"No… I remember it Clearly," Miss All Sunday said as she set up a beach chair she had pulled out before laying down on it. "You better take responsibility."

"She… Who…?" Chopper mumbled on confusion, having never seen her before now.

"Leave quickly! I'm calling the Marines!" Usopp called out from behind the mast which he had hidden himself behind.

"You're really weird," Luffy said. "What do you want?"

"Let me join your crew," She replied.

"EH!" Everyone other than Zoro, Chopper, and myself yelled.

"It's you who made me go on when I wanted to die," She said. "That's all your fault. I have nowhere else to go. So, let me stay on this ship."

"Oh," Luffy said. "If it's like that, then there is nothing I can do. It's okay."

"LUFFY!" Nami, Zoro, and Usopp yelled while Sanji danced around happily in the background. I huffed, trying to figure out if Luffy was thinking this through or not. We don't even know this woman. Urgh, why did I not keep up with this anime? I should not have only watched the start.

"Don't worry," Luffy laughed. "She's not as bad as you all think!"

* * *

><p>"I began as an archaeologist at the age of 8," Robin said. "Then I had a bounty put on my head."<p>

"Archeologist?" Usopp questioned her. Usopp had taken it upon himself to pull out a table and question Robin. He seemed to be trying to act like an interrogator but he was not doing a good job. If anything, he was amusing Ms. All Sunday.

"It's my family's tradition," Robin replied "So for the next 20 years I was chased by the government. Being just a child I couldn't survive out on the sea alone… That's why I've been with various villains to protect myself. That's why I am good at stealthy things."

I was curled back up next to the mast again, my eyes closed as I listened with Zoro sitting next to me. I did not want to get involved with this woman, but I was staying close at hand in case she turned on us.

"Hmm, you are pretty confident." Usopp noted. "What sort of stealthy things?"

"Assassinations," She answered simply.

"Luffy! According to my investigation I came to the conclusion that this woman is too dangerous!" Usopp cried out, tears streaming out of his eyes. An annoyed sighed made it's way out of my chest before I realized it and when I did, I frowned.

'_Why am I such a grumpy bitch these days…?_' I grumbled, my brows furrowing.

I heard Luffy and Chopper laugh in the background causing me to smirk slightly from the sound. It was good to hear them happy again. Alabasta took a toll on ALL of us, not just me. This boat truly was our home and safe haven, the members of the crew were the family… A demented and strange family, but a family nonetheless.

"Are you even listening!" Usopp yelled at the captain.

"Really, they are useless," I heard Nami sigh. "I still remember you used to be the vice president of an evil organization. You were Crocodile's partner. You can fool Luffy, but you won't fool me. If I see anything suspicious, I'll get rid of you!"

"Hehe… Okay, I remember that," Robin laughed. "In that case I'll keep these jewels for myself."

I heard a rush of footsteps as Nami ran up to Robin, "Waa! I really like you miss!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Usopp and Zoro said at the same time as Zoro stood up, walking away from me. I crackled open one eye, watching him and Usopp closely.

"Nami got bribed by her!" Usopp muttered.

"So underhanded," Zoro agreed.

"Ah! It's love!" A heard Sanji call out as he danced across the deck. "Flowing love, I am nothing but a blackened log drifting on the current of the river! Struck by lightning commanded by you which sent me into a river, ever flowing down a waterfall. Here is a snack."

"Ah, Thank you," Robin said.

"Did he really just do that?" Zoro sweat dropped.

"Yeah, but he's that kind of guy," Usopp sighed.

I lazily opened up my other eye, lifting up my head in a jaded manner. It was only us three left against Robin.

"It seems we are the castle," Zoro stated as he crossed his arms.

"Those guys really need someone to take care of them," Usopp agreed.

"Usopp!" Luffy called out.

"Huh?" He said, turning around.

"Chopper!" Luffy called as two of Robin's hands stuck out of his head to make his seem like he had antlers.

Next thing I knew Usopp was rolling on the ground laughing with Chopper and Luffy.

'_Blah, why are they so noisy?...Oh right, I'm meant to cut down on the bitchiness,_' I sighed as I stood up and followed Zoro across the deck with silent movements. He walked up to the front of the ship where Robin retreated to. He leant against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest as he sent her a look. I jumped onto the railing next him, finally taking a good look at Robin. She looked rather emotionless, to put it in one word: puppet. That's what she was. A puppet controlled by the strings of fate until she decided to break free.

"This is not bad," Robin commented. "Are they always this cheerful?"

Zoro and I shared a look before he replied, "Yeah, they're always like that."

"Really?" She laughed, flashing a smile.

I saw Zoro send her another look before he stood up again and wandered off, leaving me alone with her. I sat where I was because I was not done evaluating her, so I didn't take my eyes off her. There was just something about her attitude that I couldn't understand but I wanted so badly to. It was a mystery. All her emotions she was showing were fake. They were as fake and as plastic tits on a man. What I couldn't figure out was what was behind that mask. Was it dangerous?

"Aren't you a cute dog," Robin commented, smiling at me.

I tilted my head to the side, scrunching up my muzzle.

'_Bleh… Cute? Of all the words… DAMN IT! More damn bitchy comments out of my mouth!_' I mixture of emotions flittered across my face before I snapped myself out of it.

I smoothly jumped off the railing, trotting towards Robin as she watched me. I circled around her once, scrutinizing every inch of her for anything that shouldn't be there, like weapons. Robin stayed still, permitting my actions. When I was satisfied she'd passed my test I dipped my head in farewell before ambling off.

If Luffy said she was a member of the crew, then she was. If she was in trouble then I would defend her, but that didn't mean I couldn't be suspicious of her motives. A puppet never dances by itself…

* * *

><p>"Miss Navigator… Is the log pose okay?" Robin called out.<p>

"Straight forward to the northwest, don't worry Robin," Nami replied sweetly.

"You must have kept those jewels…" Usopp snorted at Nami.

"Sanji! Where is my snack!" Luffy cried out.

"Wait a second!" Sanji yelled back.

I was laying on the railing next to Zoro and he lifted his weights and up down, my eyes following the motion. Now that I had a good nap my stupid mind was restless again. Could it not learn to shut up for a few minutes?

"Nami, will the next island we're going to have snow?" Luffy asked from the other side of the ship.

"You want snow again?" Nami asked.

"The records in Alubarna said it was an autumn island," Robin decided to add.

"I like autumn too!" Luffy chirped.

"Hmm?" Zoro muttered as something fell from the sky and hit the deck. "Is it raining?"

I glanced around the deck as more flakes of something fell to the deck. Brown snow?

"It's not rain…" Sanji commented.

"Is it hail?" Usopp mumbled.

I glanced up at the sky and everything around me seemed to stop. My eyes just about bulged out of my head as I laid there gaping.

"No, something is falling from… The sky," Luffy finished as he gaped as well.

"A huge galleon?" Nami gasped.

"AAHHH!" Usopp and Chopper yelled.

"Why…" Sanji started to say but he was cut short at the huge falling ship hit the water, sending the Going-Merry spinning.

"WAAAH!" Everyone screamed as they went flying into the air. I yelped as I was thrown off the railing and up into the air, flipping over onto my back. Everything else seem to fly around me as I squeezed my eyes close. Maybe perching on railings like a bird was not my smartest idea. Before I got too far something grabbed my bandana, choking me as I was stopped. I gagged while I was pulled back in towards Zoro who had got a hold of the railing. I collided with his chest and he used his spare arm to hold me there.

"Everyone grab hold of the ship!" Zoro yelled.

"What's going on?" Nami screamed as she grabbed the mast.

"It's a dream! It must be a nightmare!" Usopp said and without meaning to my whole body shuddered against Zoro and the mention of nightmares. He didn't seem to notice though because of how much the boat was rocking.

'_This is a nightmare!_' I gasped breathlessly, my heart beat fluttering in my chest. '_No, it's not. It can't be. No..._'

"Nightmare?" Chopper gaped causing me to flinch again. "What a relief!"

"There's still more falling! Be on guard everyone!" Sanji called out.

"Turn around! Turn around!" Nami shrieked.

"How can we do that with these waves!" Zoro yelled back.

"Luffy! Protect the ship! It can't take anymore!" Sanji ordered.

"Okay!" He replied. "Huh? Usopp?"

"Don't worry! Just pray like me, close your eyes and then slowly raise your head and open them," Usopp said as he knelt on the deck on clasped his hands together. "See, it's just a peaceful morning… AHH! IT'S A SKELETON!"

"IDIOT! DON'T THROW IT OVER HERE!" Nami yelled as he threw the skeleton at her.

"There's more coming!" Zoro yelled.

I pressed myself against him, tucking my head in against his chest as the rest of the items falling from the sky rained upon the deck. I felt bits of wood smack into my back and I heard a few hit Zoro as well. I hoped he and the others would be okay.

Suddenly things slowly seem to calm down and the ship stopped rocking. Zoro slowly straightened up, letting go of me as I slipped back down onto the deck. I pulled my head back, blinking owlishly as I looked up at him. I felt at bit stupid that he had to protect me that time. Usually I was protecting others.

"You okay?" He asked me as he looked around to see if anything else was coming.

'_Mhmm,_' I mumbled in embarrassment, nodding my head so that he got the point. He said nothing else as he stood back up, making his way back to the lower deck. I followed along behind him, my eyes flicking over the deck to see if the ship falling from the sky had cause any damage.

"Why did a ship fall from the sky?" Luffy asked as everyone gathered on the deck and looked up.

"Too weird…" Sanji commented as he frowned.

"There's nothing up there…" Zoro added.

"Wha?" Nami yelped suddenly.

"What's wrong Nami?" Sanji asked automatically

"What do we do now! The log post… It's broken! It's pointing up and not moving around." Nami explained.

'_Up_?' I asked in confusion.

"That's not right," Robin interrupted. "There's another magnetic field. It's changing the direction of the post. If it's pointing up it means it must have locked onto a sky island!"

"What is that?" Usopp asked in worry.

"Can an island really float?" Luffy questioned, seemingly excited.

"Did the ship and skeleton really fall from there?" Usopp gawked.

"There's nothing that looks like an island," Zoro pointed out.

"No… It's more like… A floating sea," Robin tried to explain.

"Sea?" Nami exclaimed.

"That's even more confusing," Zoro sighed.

"WAAAH!" Usopp and Luffy yelped.

"Is there really and island floating on top of a floating see?" Luffy asked. "Alright, let's go!"

'_Wait, wait, wait_!' I protested even though he couldn't hear me. '_Think about this_! _Did you see the state of the ship that just came from there!_'

"Everyone! Upwards we go!" Usopp joined in. "Full speed ahead!"

"GAH!" Luffy choked as arms sprouted out of his chest and gagged him by slapping themselves over his mouth. I sent Robin an approving look. She learns fast.

"It's impossible for a ship to go up, captain," Sanji pointed out, trying to bring Luffy back down to Earth.

"To tell you the truth, I've never seen a Sky Island," Robin admitted. "I don't know much about them."

"That's right!" Nami agreed with Sanji. "It's impossible for there to be floating islands and seas! The log pose is just broken, that's it."

"No, Miss Navigator," Robin disagreed. "What you should worry about right now is not the log pose. But how to get up there."

I noticed that Luffy and Usopp had slipped off at some stage, making me suspicious of what they were doing. I wandered up to the back of the boat again, watching as Usopp and Luffy jumped around on the half sunken boat.

'_How and when…_' I sighed.

"What are those two doing now…?" Zoro asked.

"Searching they said…" Chopper replied as I jumped up onto the railing next to them. Not long after they moved back to the lower deck to open a coffin that Luffy brought back quickly before going back to the other ship. I laid down on the railing, content to watch over Luffy and Usopp rather then get involved in more conversations where only one person could hear me.

After a few minutes the ship seemed to suddenly start sinking under the water, leaving Usopp and Luffy to flail around in the water. I bolted up, my eyes going wide.

'_For Gods sake_!' I swore and without thinking I closed my eyes and dove off the side of the boat.

I plunged under the cold water, air bubbles bursting all around me as I was swallowed by the water. I ignored the weightless feeling that came over me, pumping my legs to swim a few stroke under water. I then headed for the surface, popping my head up out of the water. I looked around, zeroing in on Luffy and Usopp before I paddling quickly over to them.

"Luffy! Hang on!" Usopp cried out.

I swam up to them quickly grabbing Luffy's shirt and dragging towards my back. Usopp seemed to quickly get the idea and helped me put Luffy on my back. I notice Luffy's hat slip off of his head, half sinking into the sea.

"Ahh… My… Hat," Luffy mumbled, all his energy being sapped from him while he was in the sea.

'_Got it_,' I sighed, reaching out and snagging the hat between my teeth, being careful to put any holes through it. '_Happy now Captain?_'

Once I was sure he was on properly with Usopp's help, I began to paddle back towards the boat. Having dead weight on your back was not an easy thing to manage to swim with, but I was doing okay. Usopp swam next to me to help in case Luffy slipped off, but we both made it back to the boat easily. With some help from Zoro and Sanji we were all pulled back aboard the boat, Luffy first.

I was the last one to be pulled aboard, Zoro just leant over the side of the boat, snagging onto my scruff to heave me out of the water. I felt like a bag of luggage as I hung above the deck, legs curled against my chest as Zoro held me up. It was trained into a dog's body, that when picked up we go limp. It's how the mothers managed to carry puppies without dropping them. Zoro then put me back down, my wet fur clinging to my sides. I shivered, feeling like a wet rat.

I walked over to Luffy who was sitting up now and dumped his hat in his lap. He quickly picked it up, stuffing it back on his head.

"Thanks Mamori!" He said, smiling at me.

'_Mhmm, no problem_,' I replied, knowing he couldn't hear me. Wasn't the first sign of madness talking to yourself? Oh hell, I've gone way past that point. And isn't the second one arguing with yourself… Oh, I'm buggered.

"Hey everyone!" Luffy said when he finally managed to stand up, holding out a map in front of him. "Look what I got! I found something really cool! Look at this!

"A map of Sky Island!" Nami exclaimed as she took it off Luffy to have a look. "Skypiea…"

"Does this mean there really is an island up there?" Luffy asked. "Alright Usopp! Chopper! There is a Sky Island! Let's go for it!"

"Don't get so worked up, it's just a possibility," Nami interrupted. "There are too many fake maps out there!"

I had to snicker mentally at the looks of disappointment Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy sent Nami.

"Ah… Sorry!" Nami yelped, waving her hands.

"There is. There is. There must be one…" They all moaned.

"All I wanted to say is I don't know how to get there!" Nami yelled frustration as she swung around and punched the mast.

"Ah! Nami! Easy on the ship!" Usopp yelped.

"You're a navigator right? Think of something!" Luffy yelled at Nami.

"There is something called impossible!" She spat back.

"I don't care!" Luffy pouted. "I wanna go up there!"

"Nami is so cute when she is angry," Sanji cooed.

I shook my head at the crews antics, my muzzle pulled back in a smirk. Some things never change.

"We just can't…We can't go anymore," Nami sighed, Luffy twitching on the floor next to her from when she hit him. "The log post stays pointing up. What we need now is information like Robin said. If it's possible for such a big ship to get up there, it must be possible for us too. We must get our hands on that ship router!"

"But it's totally sunk now…" Usopp pointed out.

"If it's sunk, then we will just have to salvage it!" Nami declared.

"ALRIGHT!" Luffy and Usopp cheered.

"Is that even possible!" Zoro yelled.

"What is salvage?" Chopper asked Robin.

"It means to pull up a sunken ship, but one that too big for us…" She explained.

* * *

><p>"Hahaha!" Luffy laughed from inside his barrel suit. "Not bad at all, just one thing… Are you sure this is going to work?"<p>

Usopp had come up with the idea to make suits out of barrels so that they could go underwater and get things off the boat that was under water. Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy had gotten picked for the job. There was no way I was doing it; I'd probably get really claustrophobic.

"It's up to you now," Nami said with a smile.

"Don't worry! My work is as good as perfection!" Usopp boasted.

"Good luck," Nami wished them as they jumped over the side of the boat. I jumped up onto the railing yet again, watching over the side where they disappeared into the water. A few bubbles rose from the sea and then it went still. My brows furrowed as I continued staring at it. I couldn't help them while they were down there, it unnerved me.

"This is Chopper, please reply!" Chopper spoke into the speakers that Usopp made for us to communicate with them.

"This is Luffy. There are so many monsters down here! Your turn!" Luffy's voice came out.

"Is this a giant sea snake's den!" Zoro asked.

"Sanji here. Whaa! I see it coming this way!" Sanji's voice said.

'_Oh shit!_' I swore, my eyes widening as the scanned the water neurotically. I had to bite down the urge to jump off the side of the boat to try and get to them. I'd be no use to them now.

"Okay," Nami said nonchalantly.

"What do you mean okay!" Usopp exclaimed.

"They'll be fine, so stop whining," She replied.

"Wheh! Thank God I didn't go," Usopp sighed.

"Sal~vage! Sal~vage! Sal~vage! Sal~vage!" A voice fluttered over the air, coming towards us. I tilted my head to the side, my eyes looking up from the sea.

'_The hell….?_' I questioned.

"What is that?" Usopp muttered, glancing around.

**CLASH**

**CLASH**

The sound of instruments smacking together also drifted towards us. A sound of a whistle came next, the high pitch sound causing me to press my ears flat back against my skull. The hair on the back of my neck stood up when I noticed that a huge ship was floating towards us.

"All crew! Stop the ship!" A voice called out from a huge Monkey ship.

"Aye-Aye sir!" The crew called out.

"Is this the location of the sunken ship?" The leader asked.

"Aye-Aye Sir! Boss!" The crew answered again.

"Boss?" The leader asked again as he came into view. He was a huge ape in clothing from what I could see. "In other words, that's me! Prepare to salvage! The ship is mine!"

"Oke! Ook! Oke!" The crew chanted back.

"Of all times, why must it be now that these weirdos come out…" Nami sweat-dropped.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" The captain asked when he finally noticed us. "This is my territory."

"Territory?" Nami asked.

"That's right. Every sunken ship around here is mine," He replied seriously. "You didn't mess with my stuff right? So…?"

I frowned, standing up and walking along the railing. I was the first line of defense while the others were under the water. If the ship decided to attack it would hard to defend against all of them, but that would not stop me. I flashed my teeth at the monkey's ship, pacing back and forth along the railing so that I was walking protectively in front of the others. Every few seconds I swished my tail, glaring at the monkey man.

"Looks like he wants to salvage it too," Robin pointed out.

"Hmm, that's what he said," Usopp agreed, ducking down behind the railing to hide.

"So what?" Nami asked, not at all fazed. "This is our chance."

"Stop blabbering!" Mr. Ape yelled. "Answer my question now! Oke oook okeee!"

"Mamori, would you stop it?" Nami hissed as I stalked in front of her, before she turned back to the monkey and raising her hand. "Sorry, can I ask you a question?"

With a frown I dropped to my butt on the railing next to Chopper, sighing unhappily. It wouldn't be my fault if they attacked suddenly and she got hurt.

"You have something to ask me?" The monkey yelped. "Alright, go ahead."

"Where did you come from and are you going to scrape a ship up here?" Nami questioned.

"Scrape!" He called out. "Hey, so I look like a complete monkey?"

"Like a monkey?" Nami queried.

"Like a real man? Do you really think so?" He said, smiling vainly.

"Huh?" Nami muttered. "But I didn't…"

"Haha! Thanks for noticing!" He interrupted.

"So? Are you guys here to salvage?" Usopp asked.

"Of course I'm here to salvage it!" He yelled back. "I'm a man who will salvage every single ship that sinks! I don't care how wide or long the ship is. There isn't a single ship we can't salvage."

"So… Can we watch you do it?" She asked.

"Huh?" He said. "Ah! I see! You guys have never seen it done before! Alright, just watch how we do it!"

"Boss!" One of his crew called out suddenly. "Big trouble! Our crew that went under with the hook…"

"Was it a sea monster?" The monkey guessed.

"No! It seems he was punched by someone!" His crew mate informed him.

"What!" Mr. Ape roared and I jumped up to my feet, getting ready for anything to happen. "Someone else is down there! Sooo… HEY YOU!"

"Ack!" Usopp yelped as he jumped.

"Er, this is…" Nami stuttered, holding up her hands.

"It looks like there is someone down there," He told us. "Be careful!"

I blinked owlishly, my temper going straight down as my fur settled back down.

'_Idiot…_' I gaped.

"SECURE THE HOOK!" He ordered his crew. "BEGIN SALVAGING!"

"AYE AYE SIR!" They replied dutifully.

Mr. Monkey then turned back to us, waving like a retard. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper waved back nervously. I frowned, sitting back down. I hated playing games like this, anything could go wrong at any time and I wasn't exactly a master actor.

"Hey crew, listen up," I heard him say quietly to his crew while keeping a straight face. It was hard to hear him so I narrowed my in suspicion as my dog hearing came in handy. "Just pretend that those people are pumpkins. Just because there is someone, don't… DON'T BE SO NERVOUS!"

"YEE… YEEEAH!" His crew called out.

I had to blink yet again, my confusion about them doubling. Were they really that stupid or was this an act?

"It seems they have a little pride," Usopp pointed out.

"They probably want to show off to us," Nami shrugged.

"Be careful of the mystery enemy," Mr. Ape told his crew member as more of them jumped over the side, diving under that water.

"What is that mon… Monkey for?" Usopp asked nervously as he tried to keep them distracted. The monkey he was talking about was the figure at the front of the ship. It was a monkey that had to music symbols in its hands.

"Oh? This?" Mr. Ape hummed. "Oke, oke. You've got sharp eyes! This monkey isn't just an ordinary decorative statue. BARCO HUNTER! FORWARD!"

"YES CAPTAIN!" His crew chanted as the monkey suddenly began to extend forward on strings. When it got far enough away from the boat it dropped off the front of the ship, diving into the water.

"WHA!" Usopp yelped.

'_I hope that isn't dangerous…_' I muttered, thinking about our guys that were still under the water.

"WOW! THAT'S GREAT!" Chopper called out.

"REALLY GREAT!" Usopp agreed.

"What are you talking about…?" Nami sighed.

"ALRIGHT! START BLOWING!" The ape called out after a few seconds.

"YES SIR!" Was the chorus he received.

"No way…" Nami gasped. "They're trying to blow air into it and lift the ship that way? That's impossible."

The ape grabbed a long tube that connected to the monkey before taking a deep breath. He then blew into the ship, a huge lump forming in the hose as it travelled down into the ship. Several members of the crew also did the same as we watched.

"NOW! START PUSHING!" He ordered as the men ran over to a machine that when pushed, pulled up the ropes.

"YES SIR!"

"ADD MORE AIR!" Mr. Ape directed. "HURRY UP!"

"GYAHHH!" A scream came out of the speaker connected to the men under water.

"Sir! The crew underwater!" One of his men began.

"What!" He yelled. "What happened to my crew!"

"There is someone inside the ship!" The speaker said again. "WAAAH!"

"HOW DARE THEY ATTACK MY CREW!" The ape screamed. "WHO ARE THEY!"

"CAPTAIN! HELP… GYAAH!" Then men under water screamed.

"AHH! I'M COMING DOWN!" He cried. "Continue to work on pulling the ship!"

With that said he jumped over the side of the boat without a suit or anything. I watched anxiously, my tail swishing behind me. I couldn't exactly go help the others… I hope they were okay.

"AHHH!" Nami suddenly yelped and I watched them curiously as all three of the others went deathly pale. "THERE IS SOMETHING UNDER THE BOAT!"

"Y…Ye…YES!" Usopp agreed as I leaned over the side of the ship to see what they talking about. "It's right under the boat!"

My eyes doubled in size when I noticed that there was a huge shadow under the boat.

'_What the shit..!_' I gasped.

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	36. Death Threats

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter!**

**Also, my lovely and helpful Beta, Praeses is writing her own Fanfiction. It's a Law/OC story and it looks great so far! It's a highly recommended story for you guys to read. It's called 'Phantoms of the Underworld'. Feel free to go check it out!**

**Anyway, as always, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"CAPTAIN!" The ape's crew called out. "CAPTAIN! What! What is this? What kind of land are we on?"<p>

"I don't know! I don't see anything!" Nami cried out.

"I don't see anything!" Usopp yelled, covering his eyes. "This is a dream!"

"A dream? Really!" Chopper called out.

"Whew! It's just a dream!" All three of them said, calming down as they wiped their brows.

'_Idiots!_' I yelped as I began to pace back and forth across the railing again, my eyes not leaving the shape in the water as it rose up. Whatever this new threat was, it could not be good. Somehow I doubted I would be able to stop it by myself as well. As the creature broke the water's surface right next to the boat all the water rushed of its back to reveal its true form. It resembled a massive turtle and its jaws were the ship Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro were on!

"Ahh…" Robin interrupted. "The guys in the water were swallowed by that thing, right?"

"Don't say they were eaten!" Usopp yelled back, tears running out of his eyes.

"Hmm, the pipes are running out of its mouth. I was right," Robin said calmly. I panicked a bit when I saw what she was talking about. The pipes that allowed the other three to breathe were hanging out of the turtles mouth.

'_Shit!_' I swore as I eyed the turtle.

"Don't say that!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Waaah!" Chopper panicked. "Luffy and the others were eaten alive!"

'_HEY!_' I screamed mentally at the giant turtle, not sure if it could hear me or not. '_You! Oi! You lump of soup! SPIT MY FRIENDS OUT NOW!_'

My yelling was accompanied by a loud howl of rage as I threw my head up in the air, stamping my paws unhappily on the railing. I froze suddenly as the monster's eyes seemed to rotate around settle on me.

'_Oh… Oh…_' I gaped, nervously taking one step back but the monster did not seem to want to come towards us yet. He looked more than happy to keep munching on his boat.

"It's all your fault!" Usopp accused. "You told them to go to the bottom of the Grand Line! You said it was going to be okay without any proof!"

"Yeah…" She admitted before calmly calling out. "Sorry!"

"Hey... Shouldn't your attitude be a little more-" Usopp started to say but was cut off as the boat jerked suddenly.

With a yelp I slipped off the railing, falling onto the decking of the boat. As my side hit the wood I grunted, rolling straight over and jumping back up to try to find the cause of that sudden jerk. I looked around, my eyes zeroing in on the lines that were hanging out of the turtle's mouth. I noticed how tight the lines were and they were holding strong.

"It seems if we do not cut off the air pipes," Robin said as we were dragged towards the giant turtle by the pipes. "We will be pulled underwater along with the boat."

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Usopp screamed out.

"Robin! You're strong!" Nami pointed out. "Do something!"

"I can't. It's too big," She shrugged.

"Mamori!" Nami turned around, looking at me this time.

I gritted my teeth together, not taking my eyes off the turtle as we had a stare down.

'_Chopper, can you tell them something for me?_' I requested. '_Tell them to calm down and think with clear heads! This is those idiots of ours that we are talking about. They will find a way out._'

"Ah!" Chopper gasped. "Right! Mamori said to 'calm down and think with clear heads! This is those idiots of ours that we are talking about. They will find a way out!'"

"Alright!" A voice from the other crew called out. "Get the ropes and rescue the captain! Show them the pride and the fame of Masira's pirates!"

"Oke! Okee! Ooook!" They chanted. "The captain is still alive! Oke! Ook! Ooke!"

"That's right!" Usopp agreed. "This is just a test of our team work!"

"Usopp!" Nami called, pumping a fist.

"Right!" He called out, also pumping his fist.

"Cut the air pipes to ensure our safety!" Nami ordered.

'_LIKE HELL!_' Was the first words that I spat out, spinning around to face Nami.

"You're a devil!" Usopp cried.

"DEVIL!" Chopper agreed.

"Huh?" Usopp gasped as everything around us suddenly got darker, like it was night. The transition from light to dark was that quick that it took a while for my eyes to adjust. "What... What happened!"

"Why is it night!" Chopper sobbed, looking around.

"No way!" Nami cried. "It's not the right time yet!"

"Then what's happening!" Usopp yelled. "LUFFY! ZORO! SANJI!"

"Oh no!" People from the other ship cried. "This is a bad omen! Sky turning to night! This is a sign for monsters! The ship will be sunk! Hurry up and rescue the captain!"

"Up!" A voice called from the water and I looked up in time for something to collide with me.

**BAM**

I was knocked to the ground as something heavy smashed into me, all my breath leaving my lungs. I laid there in a daze as a heavy weight pressed me to the deck. I felt water seep into my fur, causing me to snap back to myself and turn my head around.

"Luffy!" I heard Nami gasped and I opened my eyes to see a knocked out Luffy lying on me.

'_What… Luffy?_' I muttered. '_HE'S OKAY!'_

Nami walked over and pulled him off me, slapping him across the face to wake him up while Zoro and Sanji jumped aboard.

"Luffy! What happened to you! Are you dead?" She asked him.

"Zoro! Sanji!" Usopp called out happily.

When I finally regained my breath I stood back up, my head spinning for a second. Luffy is a hammer alright. With a huff and with one last look at Luffy I hurried over Sanji and Zoro to make sure they were alright as well.

"Let's go!" Zoro ordered. "We have to get out of here!"

"That guy was a pain…" Sanji huffed.

I did a quick circle of the two, seeing no obvious injuries on them. They both just looked a little waterlogged. Seeing that they were both okay I turned back to the main problem at hand. The giant turtle. I trotted over to the railing, jumping smoothly back onto it as I locked my eyes on the turtle again. It had looked away by now, loosing interest in me. Ass.

"You're safe!" Usopp yelled, crying happily. "Ahh! We should run away from that giant sea turtle first!"

"Turtle?" Zoro asked in confusion. "No, it was just a monkey."

'_Are you blind…_' I mumbled. '_There is a huge turtle! I'm looking straight at it!_'

"Must be some kind of sea monster," Sanji talked at the same time as Zoro.

"It was very friendly with Luffy at first," Zoro continued.

"Since they are both monkeys," Sanji kept talking.

"But when he saw these sacks of stuff we found, he stated going berserk on us!" Zoro finished.

"He was like a crazy gorilla!" Sanji concluded.

"Yeah, that's Masira. He's here to recover the sunken ship!" Usopp explained. "Good job escaping from that giant sea turtle's mouth!"

"Turtle?" Sanji asked. "What turtle?"

"Huh? That weird turtle has its mouth right open…" Usopp noted. "No wonder you were able to escape."

'_Huh…_' I snorted when I noticed it too. '_Luffy must have been too rubbery so it spat him back out._'

"Whoa!" Zoro and Sanji both yelped when they turned around and finally noticed it. "What the hell is that?"

"You just noticed it!" Usopp yelled. "That thing swallowed the ship with you guys in it!"

"Waah!" Luffy cried as he finally sat up and spat out some water. "Huh? Is it nighttime already?"

"Luffy! Help us move the ship!" Usopp ordered as everyone else got their butts into gear. I didn't leave the railing, my sharp eyes not straying from the monster.

"YOU!" A loud voice said as the monkey burst out of the water. "CANNOT LEAVE!"

He landed on the side of our ship near me and threw his hands up as he yelled, "You think you can just come into my territory, steal my treasure and just run away from me!"

I skittered back, eyeing the second threat. '_Oi! Get off our boat!'_

"Treasure?" Nami gasped, gasping her hands together as she turned to Luffy. "You found treasure!"

"Yup!" He confirmed, smiling. "Lots of it!"

"This is bad," Zoro gritted out, getting ready to pull his sword out. "If he goes berserk on this ship…"

"CAP… CAPTAIN! DA… DANGER!" His crew called out.

"Huh?" He asked, turning around.

Everyone's faces turned into shocked faces when we all saw what in the mist behind us. There was three huge shadows of bodies, many times bigger than the giant turtle floating in the mist. Even the turtle looked shocked at this revelation. The center one lifted up its spear as two more joined it. I forgot about the monkey on our railing, staring at the third threat of today... Err, tonight. Where were they all coming from and what the fuck were they? The hairs on the back of my neck rose as I watched the display.

'_My spidey senses are tingling and they are not saying good things…_' I panicked, my head shooting around to see what the rest of the crew were doing.

"MONSTERS!" A lot of people screamed from both boats.

In less than a few seconds the rest of the crew had gotten out oars and were powering the boat away from the shapes at an insane speed. I was one of the ones that was helping. No way was I going to stick around and find out what the hell that was all about. I jumped down and ran over to the closest person which happened to be Zoro. I started helping Zoro as best I could, using my shoulder to push on the oar as the boat flew across the water and away from the danger.

* * *

><p>"Impossible," Nami panted.<p>

"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "Nothing could be that big."

We had gotten out of the misty and dark place and well away from the shapes before coming to a stop. Now everyone was sprawled around the deck, panting from the harsh work out. I was laying on my side, the cool wood helping to cool me down as I closed my eyes and listened to the conversation around me.

"Today has been really weird," Sanji pointed out.

"A galleon fell from the sky," Zoro stated.

"The log pose keeps pointing up," Nami added.

"The strange monkey appeared to recover the sunken ship," Usopp said.

"A giant sea turtle ate the ship," Chopper sighed.

"The sky turned back," Robin pointed out.

"Finally giant monsters a hundred times bigger than the regular giants showed up!" Luffy finished.

"Yup!" Mr. Ape agreed. "That really scared me!"

Wait… Mr. Ape? My eyes snapped open in time to see Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji kick him off the boat as they screamed, "GET OUT OF HERE!"

Seeing that we were safe again I felt like a nap. It was good to able to catch up on all the sleep I missed out on in Alabasta because of my nightmares. I was glad that being on the ship had such a calming effect.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and fell to sleep, sprawled over the deck in the middle of the boat.

* * *

><p>"Still can't see it Usopp?" Zoro asked Usopp.<p>

"I haven't seen it yet," He replied, looking around with his binoculars from up in the crow's nest. We were looking for an island because apparently we had gotten an eternal pose off the monkey's ship to use. Luffy still wanted to go to Sky Island, so we decided to stop at the next island quickly and leave before the log pose set.

"It shouldn't be far away right?" Zoro asked as he looked around. "That Monkey-Man said that area back there was his territory."

"Hmm, the weather has been steady for a while. We are probably in Jaya's weather area," Nami pointed out.

"Jaya must be a spring island," Luffy concluded, laying on the ships figure head.

"So warm," Chopper sighed happily. "It feels good. Spring is such a good season. Those seagulls seem to be feeling well too."

I lazily lifted up my head, staring up at the seagulls that were floating along in the air. I was laying on the railing on the side of the boat again. It seemed to be my new favourite place to lay so long as I didn't fall off.

All of a sudden all three of the seagulls stopped in midair and started to plummet to the deck. They hit the deck with hardly a sound, feathers fluttering around them.

"AHHH!" Chopper yelped as he ran up to them. "They were shot!"

My brows furrowed as I stood up, jumping neatly down and trotting up to the front of the boat where Chopper was. I didn't hear anything, how could they have been shot? That didn't seem to fit.

"Oh! BBQ material!" Luffy called happily.

"What?" Usopp spluttered as he leant over and looked down at us. "Shots? I didn't hear any gun shots!"

Chopper used a pair of small medical tongs to pull something out of the birds chest. "Look! A bullet! Judging from the angle of descent, it was fired from the direction in front of the ship."

Hearing that I trotted straight past Chopper, jumping up into the front railing of the ship. I narrowed my eyes as I looked around but I couldn't see anything. Mind you, dogs don't have great sight.

"Shooting from an island we can't even see yet?" Nami asked, looking around. "Chopper, that's impossible!"

"But I was watching them," He protested.

"Haha, if that is true, what kind of eye sight, using what kind of gun, and what kind of technique does that shooter have?" Usopp called down to us. "They probably got hit before and just happened to fall own now."

'_No…_' I quietly said as my eyes flicked cautiously around the horizon. _'I saw it too Chopper. The birds were flying fine and then they were down. Something unusual is going on._'

"See!" Chopper insisted. "Mamori said she saw it too and they were flying fine before!"

* * *

><p>"Wow!" Nami announced as the town we were looking for came into sight. "Not bad at all! A pleasant looking city is in sight!"<p>

"Hey! Hey!" Usopp called excitedly. "It looks like a vacation resort."

"A resort?" Luffy gaped. "Speed up Merry!"

"Yup!" Nami agreed. "I feel like staying around for a few days there."

I lazily sat back with a silent Zoro, a bit anxious about leaving the boat again. Last time it didn't work out that well.

"Umm," Usopp mumbled as we got close enough to the dock that some other boats came into sight. "Those ships at the dock look like pirate ships…. Am I just worrying too much?"

"Usopp!" Nami scolded quickly. "Think! How can a pirate ship openly dock in a public place?"

"Haha!" He laughed. "That's right!"

"MURDER!" The cry came from the town causing me to jump to all four of my feet.

"What's wrong with this town!" Usopp, Nami, and Chopper sobbed suddenly.

* * *

><p>"Seems like there is all kinds of people here!" Luffy called out happily as he strode forward into the town and away from the boat.<p>

"Looks to me like a fun city," Zoro agreed.

'_How can a town full of drunken pirates be fun?_' I sighed as I ambled along behind them, all the hair on the back my neck up.

"Wait! Luffy! Zoro! Mamori!" Nami called out as she ran up to us.

From there we walked in silence for a few minutes, my suspicious eyes taking in every movement I saw. There were lots of other pirates walking past us and the smell of alcohol and blood in this city burned my nose. My spidey senses were going off once again and they were threatening to yell obscenities at me until I left this town. I think I may have reached the second stage of insanity.

That was the least of my problems though. There was someone watching me. Me or us, I wasn't sure. But, I could feel their eyes watching my every step. This wasn't paranoia or my spidey senses, it was the same feeling I got on the race to Crocodile's place.

Suddenly I saw a flash of dark blue material sweep straight past me to the left as the man in blue walked the opposite way from us.

"Act normal," His voice whispered in such a low voice that even my dog hearing had trouble picking up on it. "Follow me when you get the chance. Don't let _them_ know what you are doing."

That was all he said to me as he passed before he kept walking. I tried to follow the sound of his footsteps but he made no sound when he moved which unnerved me more.

'_What the hell…_' I whispered to myself. '_What do I do! Why does he want me again…! And he's never showed himself near the others before. What is he planning…? Is it safe to follow him...?_'

I gritted my teeth as I slowly began to decrease my speed to drop casually behind the others so that they didn't notice. When I had dropped far enough back I dove into the nearest alleyway between two buildings.

'_Don't let this end badly…_' I prayed as I slunk through the alleyway and onto the next street. '_Now… Where is he?'_

Without me having to wait long Mr. Cloak walked past me, ordering, "Follow me."

'_Where the hell did he come from_!' I snarled as I began to follow him in silence as we walked through the town.

Lots of buildings and people passed as we walked for a while with no exchange, just a tense air hanging around us. I tried to memorize the buildings as we went past, in case I had to run at any stage. I was starting to regret leaving the others and my spidey senses seemed to have found the common sense to clam up for a while.

It was a while before we suddenly exited from the town, the sight of a forest appearing before us. I automatically halted on the edge of the town, glaring down the cloaked man.

Without stopping he hissed, "Don't start giving me shit now pup. Keep walking. We've gone too far for you to go back now."

I swished my tail behind me, hesitating for a few more seconds as I thought over it. In the end I gave in and followed him warily into the forest. He'd never tried to kill me before… Well, I was not sure whether to count Whiskey Peak as an attempt or not.

After a few minutes of walking deeper into the forest the cloaked man suddenly stopped. I halted straight away behind him, tensing my muscles as he turned around slowly to face me.

"So, this is all the time you've been allowed," He said.

I took a step back, my eyes narrowing at him as he said that. I felt a shiver running up my spine at his words, '_What does that mean!_'

"You've learnt quite a bit since you got here, I have to give you credit for that," He said. "Now, to see if you've learnt enough."

He pulled the cloak off of himself in one swift motion, flinging it the side as it landed on the leafy ground. He then stood before me and for the first time I got a good look at him. He was definitely male, as I had guessed by his voice. He had short black hair and ghostly silver eyes. He was dressed in casual black jeans with a huge loose belt around his waist. The belt was black with little studs all over it. His top was a light blue V-neck t-shirt with a long sleeve silver top under that. On the T-shirt was a large black star print in the centre. He looked to be about mid-twenties in age.

"Your first mistake was willingly following me out here," He lectured. "You should never leave your friends and follow someone dangerous. What were you thinking? Your friends don't know where you are. They can't save you now."

I took a few more steps back, a soft growl picking up in my throat as I glared sharply at him. The way he was talking… It sounded like he wanted to kill me. But why? None of this made sense. Why let me live so long and help me to live, only to kill me?

"So far, from what I can tell in your fights, you're very sloppy. You have no experience whatsoever," He criticized. "You just strike out and hope to get lucky. There is no method to your madness. You need to have a reason for striking or there is no point. Here, I'll show you."

I didn't even have to blink and he was gone in a flash, no rustling over leaves or any sound at all. I saw something moving out of the corner of eye and I started to snap my head around as I felt something connect with my side.

Pain spread all across my bones as my feet left the ground, a pained yelp escaping my throat as I threw my head back. I went flying in the air, crashing back to the ground a few meters away and skidded across the ground. Before I stopped skidding I had rolled over, snapping my legs out under me so I was back on all fours.

I saw him jump for me this time and I went to jump back out of the road but as I soon as I shot into the air he seemed to move at double the speed. Before I could land my jump he brought up his fist, ramming it right in-between my ribs.

For some reason this hit seemed to hurt three times as much, but there didn't seem to different amounts of force used. I went flying back yet again, rolling across the ground when I finally landed. This time I was in that much pain I couldn't even move my body to get back until I stopped rolling.

I rolled onto my stomach, coughing as I tried to get my breath back. A little bit of blood flew out of my mouth as I continue to cough, my breathing slowly seeming to return. When I gained enough control back I shakily stood back up on my paws, panting as I snarled at the guy.

"I bet you noticed the difference between those two attacks, right?" He asked with a smirk. "The second one hurt a lot more, didn't it? That's because with the second one I hit a part of your body called the solar plexus. The first hit was just a random hit. Everyone has a solar plexus which is located in the middle of their ribs."

'_Why the fuck are you telling me this!_' I spat, even if he couldn't hear me. '_Are you trying to kill me or teach me!_'

"Now, listen. I will only tell you this once," He instructed seriously. "There are a lot more sensitive spots on humans to aim at. Some of these being the neck because you can stop them from breathing. The eyes because you can blind them. Ears because you can confuse and disorientate them. Groin… Obviously. But, apparently you are very well aware of that one. There is also the temple to confuse and disorientate. The knees would be a good spot for you to aim because of your size. Hit them right and you can have people on the ground in seconds. The skull, but try to aim for the base. And the last one I'll tell you about is the kidneys which is self-explanatory I would hope. There are more than that, but I'll leave you to figure that out yourself."

I listened to him intently while not taking my eyes off him as he pointed out all the spots on his body.

"Right, now, test time," He called out in a merry voice before he jumped, aiming his fist at me. He was moving slower than he did before so I knew he was messing with me. And I knew that if I jumped to the side again he'd get me while I was in the air.

I dashed straight forward across the ground, tucking my head and legs in so that I forward rolled across the ground under him. I spun across the ground a couple of times before snapping my legs out from under me and pushing myself up. I quickly twirled around saw him with his wrist up to dirt in the ground.

"Well, what do you know," He laughed, flashing me a smirk. "You can teach an old dog new tricks!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth he charged at me again in a flash, spinning with his leg out to kick me. It looked like he was aiming for my head so I ducked under his leg as the air whooshed past me, throwing my shoulder into the side of his other knee.

As he had told me, his leg easily folded under him, bringing him down towards the ground. Unluckily for me though, he obviously wouldn't go down the easily as he jumped forward, sticking his hand out. He landed on his hands, standing up in the air in a handstand.

I pivoted around quickly, the leaves flying around my paws as his face came into view. It stopped me for a second when I saw the look on his face. It reminded me then none other than Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. His face was lit up, a certain sparkle in his eyes. A smirk was still on his face but it was a more enthusiastic one this time. This man, like Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro, loved to fight. That was the look they got on their face when they were enjoying their fight. I don't think this man enjoyed it because I was strong, that would have been a lie. He could have beaten me in seconds. He just looked happy to be doing any sort of fighting, like the whole idea of it got his blood pumping. When he looked like that, he didn't look like the killer he tried to bring himself across as… What was going on?

"It's not over yet pup!" He said as he split his legs, starting to spin. "Keep your eyes on the prize!"

I started dancing back as he tried to kick me with his rotating spin, his feet flying past the end of my muzzle as I stayed just out of reach. I ducked under his leg again, jumping towards his torso. As soon as I moved his rotating stopped automatically as he dropped to his stomach, sweeping his leg around again. His leg crashed into my legs, sending my sprawling to the ground as he jumped up and stepped back.

I dragged myself back up, my mind still buzzing as I tried to figure this man out. My tail swished behind me as I took one step forward, flashing me teeth.

"Hmm, I think I can let you pass with that one. It seems you are getting the idea although you really need to work on it," He shrugged. "Right, now for part two."

I stopped my advance, watching him carefully as he began to talk again. I was still completely confused about his motives. One second he wants to kill me and the next he is teaching me something.

"I gave you a knife for a reason. You need to learn to use if properly. You are using the knife the same as how you hit people, you strike blindly," He began to explain as he ran his hand back through his hair. "You seem to have it stuck in your head that you should and can only use your knife for killing people. I've also noticed you've stopped using it so much lately. Are you scared of it?"

I switched my gaze to the ground as he hit the problem right on the head. I thought I could only use the blade to kill people unless I used the hilt…

"That is completely foolish thinking, I can't believe you can be so brain dead!" He scolded me without sugar coating it. "If you use your knife, you can stop someone being able to move properly without killing them. You can deal with threats within seconds rather than having to throw yourself at them. If you cut muscles in their legs they won't be able to move. How hard would that be for you when you are at that height? What about arms? So they can't use weapons?"

'_You know… I don't think I've ever meet anyone like you who can make me feel so inferior so easily!_' I snorted angrily, throwing my head up in the air, my jaws clamped shut tensely. '_Why can't you just tell me what you are really here for?_'

"…I'm guessing you just said something rude about me then?" He asked, his eyes narrowing at me.

I let my eyes meet his again, not backing down from his challenge. I was not about to go out of my way to attack him, but I've had enough of his confusing words and bipolar attitude. I was not backing down any more. No more playing a placid puppy with her tail in-between her legs.

"That's another thing you need to work on," He continued. "Your mental state. Mentally, you're as weak as a child right now. Well, no. You might just actually be worse. You really let things get to you, like Mr. Six. You're a bloody idiot for letting that happen! It does not only affect you, it also affects your crew! If you keep heading down this path and turn into a paranoid mess, then your crew will have to clean up after you won't they?"

'_Shut up_,' I snarled in denial, my anger rising again.

"Instead of being able to fight to their full potential they'll have to worry about you," He continued despite my rising growl.

'_Shut up!_' My lips peeled back to flash my teeth.

"If you keep going on like this you'll be useless! You'll be such a hindrance to your crew that I'd rather kill you right now myself than let you do that! I've seen what you've done. You even started doubting your own crew didn't you?" He raised his voice to compete with my growling.

'_SHUT UP! You know nothing_!' I cried out, charging forward as my patience finally snapped.

I ran at him head on at my full speed, my paws hardly even touching the ground. His face didn't change, nor did he make any signs that he was going to move. At the last second I feinted to the left, pivoting around on my front paws. Then, as my back feet touched the ground again I threw myself at him.

Just as my teeth were about to snap around his collar bone the wind picked up around him at a fast speed. It then exploded around him, acting like a shield as it shoved me flying back through the air. It flung me back so fast that I had no time to spin myself around before my back connected with a tree.

**CRACK**

The tree behind me cracked as I went flying straight through the bark of it, pain clouding my mind. I still went flying back little more, smacking into another tree. This time the tree only cracked a bit as I bounced off of it, dropping roughly on the ground.

I laid on the ground, not being able to breathe while I tried to figure out what just happened. One second I was just about to bite him, the next I was shoved back and sent flying straight through a tree. Devil Fruit power…?

I coughed when I rolled back onto my stomach, a line of blood dribbling out the side of my muzzle. Before I had time to think about I felt the wind pick up again, tugging at my bandana and fur.

I looked up to see a small tornado of wind about the height of Mr. Cloak, spinning right next to him. The look in his eyes was not happy anymore, it was downright pissed.

"Ha Ken Tatsumaki!*" He called out, flinging his hand out so that the tornado started moving. It shot forward; spinning across the ground as the leaves flew up off the ground around it. The leaves then got sucked into the power spinning torrent of wind, turning into flying blades.

I quickly heaved myself back up to all fours as I felt myself starting to get tugged towards it. I looked around to see if there was anywhere I could run to get away from it, but no such luck. I was left staring at it as it got closer towards me, picking up more debris in its torrent. The closer it got, the bigger it seemed to get. It had already doubled in size by now, all the trees stating to lean into towards it.

'_Shit, shit, shit!'_ I swore as it got closer as I started to get tugged in towards it, my paws sliding across the ground.

I felt something get pulled out of the bandana, starting to fly into the miniature tornado. My eyes widened when I noticed it was the rose that had saved my life and without thinking I jumped forward, running after it.

The pull of the wind helped me to speed up and quickly catch up to the rose, jumping in the air as I snapped my jaws around it.

'_Got it_!' I cried out only to freeze as my feet didn't touch the ground again. Instead I started to get pulled into the tornado. '_FUCK!_'

I quickly curled myself into a ball, tucking my head snuggly against my chest as I entered the jumble of vicious winds. I felt my body quickly began to spin and twist as it was thrown around in the tornado. The lack of stable air in the currents meant to I couldn't breathe in or out.

I felt something cut into my side, causing me to muffle a yelp into my chest. I felt more cuts start to appear on my body as all the debris the tornado had pick up sliced past me. The power of the winds had now turned all the sticks and leaves into millions of tiny blades.

I felt slice after slice cut through my fur and reach my skin, patches of red starting to blossom over my orange and white coat. I squeezed my eyes tight as I used all my strength to hold my head in against my chest so that my face wouldn't get all cut up.

'_C-Can't…_' I gasped mentally as my lungs screamed for air.

More and more cuts opened up on my body as I spun around and around, the whole world a confusing blur.

I felt my mind starting to drift off into unconsciousness, my muscles beginning to loosen. Just as everything began to turn black I felt the winds stop, dissolving in the air around me. My body fell limply to the ground along with all the debris which had now turned back into harmless sticks and leaves.

As my body impacted with the ground I let my muscles go, my body uncurling as I flopped on the ground, the rose still in my grip.

Even as I laid on the ground everything around me still spun, my eyes completely blurry. I heard the crunch of boats approaching me and I couldn't even find the energy to growl in warning. The footsteps stopped right near my side and I heard him crouched down beside me, something cold being pressed against my throat. To make sure I wouldn't get up, my knelt one of his knees on my shoulder to pin me to the ground.

"Do you see what I mean…" He sighed. "You just threw yourself into my attack all for a rose. A rose given to you by a potential enemy."

'_It's only because of that rose that I am still alive even now…_' I grumbled to myself, tightening my grip around the roses stem. '_Without that rose I would have died. I'm not about to throw it away!_'

I closed my eyes as I felt the blade press straight through my fur and rest against the skin of my neck. I laid on my side, panting from pain as I waited to see if he would kill me or not.

I felt something tug at the rose and pull it swiftly from my grip. I snarled loudly, my eyes snapping open as the sight of the ground came into focus.

"You're still risking your life for this useless thing," He said with an emotionless face, his hair shadowing his eyes from me. "Your mental weakness is truly going to be your downfall. I hoped you could work on it and maybe then I could have let you live. You were such a fun toy and the rest of you was showing great promise for the future, it's too bad I'm going to have to kill you for this one thing."

* * *

><p>*Leaf Blade Tornado<p>

**Beta read by praeses**


	37. Wait, what?

**Sorry about the cliff hanger last time! I hope this chapter makes up for it! :) And thank you to all my lovely reviewers! You are all awesome. **

* * *

><p>I laid there silently like a statue, waiting for death. I couldn't fight him. He was too strong and I was already too hurt. I held my breath, closing my eyes again as I waited. I could hear my heart beating in my ears, the only standing as a testament to the fact that I was still alive.<p>

'_So this is the end of me? All this time only for it to come to this…? I didn't even die protecting my friends. I would have been able to accept that,_' The thoughts spun through my head.

I waited. And waited. Nothing happened.

After what felt like a few agonizingly slow minutes, I felt the knife being drawn back and the knee being lifted from my shoulder. I then heard Mr. Cloak drop his ass onto the ground next to me, just sitting there as he crossed his legs.

I rolled onto my side, filching as all the cuts that covered my body twinged. I couldn't find the energy to lift myself off the ground so I kept my head on the ground as I stared at Mr. Cloak.

'_The hell…_' I muttered.

He let out a long sigh, reaching up to run his hand through his hair again after he slipped the knife away.

"You know, you really have been entertaining… Even if you are weak," He admitted as his grey eyes finally meeting mine. His whole attitude seemed to do a 360 within seconds.

'_So… Wait… What_?' I muttered in confusion, none of it making sense. If only I could ask him questions.

"I guess I can give you a little more time," He laughed suddenly. "But, you really need to work on your mental state and I know how I can help you do that."

Suddenly I was scooped up in his arms as he stood back up, my back facing down so that I was held like a baby. I yelped in protest, struggling and squirming against his hold.

"Shut the fuck up pup," He hissed and I felt him smack the back of my head. "You've lost a bit of blood so you'll be too dizzy to walk. This will be quicker and I'm not about to kidnap you, I'm helping you back to your friends."

'_Well, looks like he hasn't changed that much_,' I sighed as the back of my head throbbed. I then let out a grumpy growl before finally settling down. '_How degrading… But I really can't find the energy to fight him. Looks like I might as well trust him... Again. Spidey senses, what do you say?... Oh, so you're not talking to me NOW?_'

"Oh, I almost forgot," He muttered as he let go with one of his arms, holding me up with the other. He quickly fished something out of his pants pocket, slipping it into my bandana. "Here is that rose back. I really don't know why you want to keep it."

I looked up to him, flashing him a huge smile now that I had to the rose back. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought. I think I might even be able to stand him if he stops trying to kill me every other day.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I believe that's your friends," A voice said as I was shaken awake. I grumbled a bit, snuggling back into the arms that were holding me. It took me a few seconds to realize whose arms I was in and what had happened before. When it did click, my eyes shot open and I yelped out loud in protest, wiggling around again.<p>

"Oi!" He hissed as he dropped me, letting me land on the ground. I managed to flip over so I landed on all fours, my body yelling in protest. "Stop being a retard. You were the one who fell asleep not me, so don't get all pissy."

'_I feel asleep?_' I grumbled to myself, turning my head around to survey myself. My coat was matted with small patches of blood all over my body because of the cuts. Other than that I was fine. _'Hmm, I feel a lot better after a nap… Wait! Friends!'_

My head shot up, glancing around the place to try and find my friends. I noted that we were back in the town on one of the streets. The smell of the sea tickled my nose, so we couldn't be that far from the dock. I finally saw my friends, my heart dropping when I noticed that Zoro and Luffy were covered in blood and bruises from some reason. Someone had hurt them...

I went to jump forward and run over to them but a commanding voice stopped me, "Wait. Don't run over there yet. Watch."

I hesitated, swishing my tail unhappily but I waited and watched nevertheless.

"Let them laugh!" A huge man that was sitting in the middle of the road told Nami, Luffy, and Zoro. "Anyone who wants to be a first-rate man will encounter a time where there is no reason to fight back! Tshahahaha!"

"Let's go Luffy," I heard Zoro say as he turned around.

Luffy didn't budge though; he just continued to stare at the stranger that was sitting in the middle of the road.

"Come on," Mr. Cloak urged me as he walked towards them. I quickly followed him by his side, cutting our way through the crowd.

"Hey! Old man!" Mr. Cloak called out next me, causing me to jump and send him a wide eyed look. "What are you, a preacher?"

"Mamori!" I heard Nami gasp my name when she saw me. Hmm, apparently I looked worse than I felt… Wait, nope. I felt pretty bad.

"Tshahahaha!" The large man laughed as he turned his head towards us. "I'm just passing on some wisdom."

"Is that what you call it? " The man beside me snorted.

"Oh, looks like I'm in your way," The large man said as he turned back to Luffy and stood up. "Are you in a hurry? It would be great if you can get there… To Sky Island!"

With that said the man turned and walked past us as we walked towards my crew. I watched him blankly but the man next to me didn't even spare a glance his way as he passed. Who was that guy…?

"Not you too!" Nami huffed as we finally reached them. "Honestly! What is it with you guys! You can't go anywhere without getting in trouble. Where did you go? One second you were walking behind us the next you gone! You can't just run off like that!"

I flinched slightly, my ears drooping to the side as I looked at her with wide eyes. I just created more problems for them all by wandering off, why am I never smart? You think I could make smart choices every now and then, but no.

"Relax," The man next to me laughed at Nami, waving his hand. "She didn't start the fight if that makes you feel any better. Nor did she continue it. You should be proud of her."

"Thank you for bringing her back to us," Nami sighed.

"No problem. Actually I wanted to talk to you guys anyway, but not here in public," He admitted, flashing her a charming smile.

I resisted the urge to gag at his fakeness so I settled for a snort which earned me a glare from him. Damn, he was being so sweet that it was sickening. I'm not really sure why he wants to talk to these guys but he'd better not try any funny stuff…

"Uh…" Nami hesitated as all three of them looked at him. "Okay, let's just get away from here."

They all turned around, walking back towards the dock. I lazily followed along at the back with Mr. Cloak as I watched him suspiciously.

* * *

><p>"L…LU…LUFFY! ZORO! MAMORI!" Usopp yelled out as he, Sanji, and Chopper hung over the railing, staring at us all as we approached the boat. "YOU GUYS! WHAT'S WITH THOSE WOUNDS! WHAT HAPPENED?"<p>

"NAMI!" Sanji called out. "Are you alright Nami!"

"Ahhh!" Chopper panicked. "Doc… Doc… Doctor! DOCTOR!"

"You're the doctor! So go give them some fist aid!" Usopp yelled, smacking Chopper over the head.

My ears flicked as I heard the man besides me let out a small laugh that only my dog ears could pick up on. Well, it was more of a quick exhale of breath. He actually sounded amused then…How odd… It's good to actually hear him bei-GOD DAMN IT! I WILL NOT START GETTING SOFT ON HIM! GODDAMN HORMONES AND PROTECTIVE INSTINCT! He keeps trying to kill me! After he has saved me… Damn confusing bastard!

Wait no...Could this be Stockholm syndrome? Well that's great. I needed to add another mental quirk to my long list.

* * *

><p>"Were you fighting with that monster Mogera?" Usopp asked.<p>

We had all climbed aboard the boat and Chopper started to treat our injuries. He had already fixed up Zoro who was now sitting down and leaning against the railing. Chopper was now halfway through patching Luffy up and then I was next. Mr. Cloak man was sitting on the railing behind me, watching with mischievous eyes that I didn't approve of.

"It was just pirates," Luffy replied. "Don't worry about it, it's all over."

"That's right," Zoro added.

"Even if all of you want to let go of the past, I'm still angry!" Nami hissed. "What kind of response was that! A real man would pulverize any challenger to dust! Argh! This city is pissing me off! Why didn't you bash them into bits!"

"Just a little while ago you were saying-" Zoro started to say.

"That was the past! Don't bring it up!" She screamed back at him. "If you do I will beat you to death!"

'_Holy shit…_' I muttered, raising an eyebrow. '_What happened to put her in this kind of mood?_'

"Hey, why is the only one who didn't get hurt, being so emotional?" Usopp asked, sweat dropping.

"Dunno why…" Luffy muttered.

"Oh, did you discover any clues about Sky Island?" Chopper asked, perking up.

"Sky Island?" Nami said as he turned around and gave him a scary look. "I don't care anymore. When I mentioned it, everyone in the store just laughed. Is everything I say always funny! Is it because I said it! What did I do that was so funny!"

"Ketchup Boshi*!" Usopp called out, collapsing back and using the ketchup to make it look like he was shot.

"Guard Point!" Chopper called out, puffing up in effort to save himself from Nami's wrath.

"As I thought," Mr. Cloak mused loudly from behind me. "You are really planning to go to Sky Island."

"You know about it?" Luffy asked excitedly as everyone's attention finally switched to him.

"You could say that," He replied, waving his hand. "But that's not what I came to talk to you about."

"What did you come to talk about then?" Nami asked with a frown.

"Her," He said simply, using one of his hand to point at me as he stood up. My brows furrowed as I stood up slowly, turning to face him as well now.

'_What the fuck is he planning…_' I wondered in confusion.

"Mamori? What about her?" Zoro asked in a low voice as he stood up as well.

"I thought it was about time you were all let in on a little secret," He answered in an amused voice. "Now, how to say this without creating too many more questions…"

'_Oh God!_' I gaped. '_Please don't me is about to te-_'

"Mamori, as you call her, is a human in a dog's body," He said as bluntly as he could with a serious face on. He wasn't smiling, nor was he frowning. His face was just neutral, gauging everyone else's reactions.

My whole body tensed up, all the muscles contracting and then I froze. I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I couldn't talk. I couldn't breathe.

"WHAT!" A shocked exclamation echoed numbly in my ears as I stared at him in horror.

"I-Im-Impossible!" Usopp stuttered. "Un-Unless she has eaten a Devil Fruit…"

"She's... A…" Sanji muttered, his jaw dropping.

I couldn't find it in myself to look at any of them. All I could do was close my eyes as I lowered my head. My ears pressed themselves back flat as my mind tried to figure out the proper way to react.

"But, she can swim!" Nami objected.

"No, she has not eaten a Devil Fruit," He hummed, enjoying the chaos he had created.

My body started to shake softly as I took gasping breaths of panic.

'_No, no, no, no, no_,' I moaned quietly.

"And how do you know this?" Zoro asked.

"Because I came here to kill her," He replied bluntly.

My eye snapped open as my head roughly jerked up to gape at the fool. The tension that grew in the air was palpable, the density of it causing a shiver to run down my spine. I heard several intakes of breath and then I heard Zoro pull out his swords. Sanji and Luffy also stepped forward, a scary look in their eyes.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Luffy yelled suddenly, his nostrils flaring. "YOU WON'T TOUCH HER!"

"Boy," He laughed as he smirked at Luffy. "If I still wanted to kill her I would have finished her off earlier. I've changed my mind since then."

'_This is not meant to happen…_' I panicked, my breath still coming in shallow gasps. '_It's not meant to happen like this at all!_'

"Who the hell do you think you are you shitty bastard!" Sanji demanded. "If Mamori really is a woman in a dog's body then I am going to be her prince! Just like the story of the frog and the princess I shall kiss her and set her free~"

'_LIKE HELL!_' I protested, wondering who was worse at the moment. The bipolar and violent mystery man or Sanji who has now decided he is going to be my prince and wanted to kiss me to set me free.

"Sanji! Now is not the time!" Nami quickly cut him off before addressing the still amused stranger. "Who are you and how do you know so much about her?"

"Hmm, I have a few names. If you must call me by a name, then call me Ikol," He replied calmly. "And why I know so much about her is not information that I feel like letting you know about. I only came here to tell you that little titbit of information. No more, no less. Now I bid you farewell."

"Wait!" Luffy yelled in rage, pulling back his arm. "Gomu Gomu no…."

Ikol just smirked, looking at me one last time. He winked at me in a mischievous way while I stared, having no idea what to do.

"PISTOL!" Luffy finished, throwing his fist at Ikol and just as the fist was about to make contact a huge torrent of wind picked up around Mr. Cloak. Luffy's fist hit the mini whirlwind that encased the man, his fist being shot off to the side. Luffy stumbled forward a few steps, the wind around Ikol dying off. His arm then retracted to normal as we all stared silently at the place that Ikol was before. He was gone again, no sign of him left.

"AH! COME BACK! COWARD!" Luffy yelled after him.

"H-He's gone…" Usopp muttered.

The silence that settled over the ship unsettled me, my eyes straight away dropping to look at the deck as everyone else turned to look at me.

'_No, no, no_!' I panicked, on the verge of hyperventilation and a panic attack. I took a step back, my eyes still refusing to meet my friends. '_I'm sorry. So very sorry! Sorry! I… I…'_

The silence that continued had me on a verge of a mental break down, my mind swimming a million miles an hour as all sorts of things spun through it. Although my brain was so active, I couldn't quite process any of it. My mind was so numb. The only thing I could process was the sound of my heaving and choking breathing and the loud thumping of my heart.

"Is… Is that true Mamori?" Chopper's soft and placid voice asked, breaking the silence. I jumped at the sudden sound, my head snapping up as I looked at Chopper. I didn't know what to say. What could I say?

'_It… Is. I'm sorry! I should have told you! I… I…_' I stumbled over my words, trying to spit out too much at once with no way to voice all my feelings.

"But how!" Chopper exclaimed.

'_I… I don't know! If I knew then I probably would have told you by now! I was even starting to doubt that I was once human… I've been in this body for what seems like ages. This is me now! It was not my plan to deceive any of you! I just woke up like this one day! One day I was happily going about my normal life and the next I woke up as a dog!_' My chest was heaving and shuddering and I finished my rant, ears pressed back against my head. I could only guess what was running through the others heads. All the times that I'd acted like a dog around them. Licking them, jumping on them, and sleeping on them… '_I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THIS! I WISH I DID! … I… I'm sorry._'

"W-What did she say?" Usopp stuttered, causing me to flinch. He was scared of me now…?

"She said it's true… She said she has no idea how it happened. One day she was a normal human and the next she was in a dog's body," Chopper mumbled quietly, seeming to be in shock himself.

"So?" Luffy's calm voice broke the silence. "She's still Mamori."

My eyes flicked in Luffy's direction, widening in shock at what he had said. He didn't care? My jaw almost dropped when I saw what Luffy was doing. He was standing there, looking to the side with his pinkie finger up his nose.

'_But… What…_' I spluttered, not sure how to take Luffy.

"Who was that strange guy though?" Zoro asked, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at me. He didn't sound angry… At least not angry at me. He didn't sound pleased at Ikol though.

'_I… I don't really know. I have reason to believe he knows why I am like this. I have seen him around the place before but he's never tried to kill me before now… I can't understand him_,' I admitted, shyly meeting Zoro's eyes.

"She says she doesn't know who he is. She thinks he has something to do why she is like she is. She also says she has seen him around the place before but today was the first time he tried to kill her," Chopper translated for me.

"So those injuries…" Sanji left the question hanging in the air.

I could almost feel my face heating up. If I was human I would have been blushing by now. They didn't care about the fact I was human? They were worried about me? No one has really worried about me so much before now… I'm usually the protector. I felt butterflies in my stomach. It was a feeling that I was not used to and it wasn't exactly a bad feeling either. It made me feel 'loved,' for a lack of a better word.

They took the look on my face and my silence as a yes.

"If he comes back, you need to tell us," Luffy ordered, a serious look on his face.

I couldn't even say anything or make a sound; I just nodded my head numbly.

"Did something happen?" Robin's voice snapped everyone out of their thoughts. My ears flicked around with my head as I stared through the railing and saw Robin walking up to the boat.

"Ah! You're back Robin!" Sanji cooed happily, running up the railing and waving at the approaching female. "Would you like to eat first or take a bath?"

"Where did Robin go?" Luffy asked dumbly, going back to his normal self.

"I went to buy some clothes," Robin said as she walked up the steps on the side of the boat. "I also tried to find clues about 'Sky Island' along the way."

"OH YEAH! IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU ROBIN! YOU AND YOUR 'SKY ISLAND' TALK!" Nami screamed at her, pointing her finger. I was left to my own devices to calm down from my close call to a panic attack because of earlier. "IF IT DOESN'T EXIST I'LL FEED YOU TO THE SHARKS!"

"Hey," Chopper's voice called from next to me. I blinked owlishly, looking at him with wide eyes. I didn't really want the attention again. "I need to fix your wounds now."

'_Oh… Of course. Thank you_,' I replied softly, sitting down on the deck next to him as he got started. '_You're not angry or upset at me for not telling you earlier…?_'

"Not really. I'm sure you had your reasons," He admitted as he put some liquid on a cloth and used it to wipe out my cuts. I let a yelp leave my mouth before I clamped my jaws together, glancing to side in embarrassment. "Sorry. I knew there was something odd about the way you acted. You acted nothing like any animal I have met before. Plus, you'd never spoken to any other animals before. That's almost unheard of."

'_Oh…_' I blinked, seeing how foolish I must have looked to him. I noted that the others were talking amongst themselves, looking over a map Robin had given to them. Must be for Sky Island. '_Let me guess, you thought I had something mentally wrong with me?_'

"It crossed my mind, but you displayed none of the other main symptoms that accompany an illness of that kind," He said sheepishly, pulling out a jar of cream that he then opened. He scooped some up on his hoof and then started to smudge it on some of my cuts. The substance matted with my fur a bit but it cooled down all the cuts which made me let out a soft sigh. "Would you mind if I ran a few tests later and a physical examination later? Purely for medical reason of course. I would be able to tell you if there was anything wrong with your body."

'_I'd be more than happy for you do that. Any answers will be handy for me because at the moment I understand about as much as you_,' I told him, flashing him an introverted smile. He was taking things better than I would have though. I thought they would have all have shunned me when the found out the truth… Well part of it. They've no idea that I don't come from this world. Not that it probably matters much… It's not like I remember anything else from the timeline.

"So… What was it like?" He asked as he pulled out a small roll of bandages.

'_Hmm?_' I mumbled distractedly.

"Being human," He replied, starting to wrap the bandage around one of the large cuts on my leg.

'_Oh! Right. Well… It's what was normal for me. I was born and raised human, so it's nothing really out of the ordinary. I was your average teenage female, average size group of friends. I wasn't rebellious, I was the quiet one who did as her mother said. I had a little brother that I adored too, he was such a sweetie,_' I sighed, my mind drifting back to the old days that I had been trying too hard to run away from. '_I used to love reading books, they were like my drugs. They could take you from one side of the world to the other with only a few sentences_,'

"You like reading?" Chopper said in surprise. "Robin has quite a few books. If you want, I could ask her if you could borrow one or two?"

'_That would be lovely if you could please!_' I gasped, my tail thumping against the deck at the thought of a book. Their wonderful smell and the feel of the covers and pages. '_You're so thoughtful Chopper… Thank you._'

"I-I don't care what you think bitch!" He yelled, doing his little squiggly dance.

I couldn't hide the smile that flashed across my face. So this is what true friends are like? I was all down and depressed a few moments ago thanks to Ikol, and in a few words Chopper had switched my mood around. Somehow I felt closer to him already, even know that he knew about me. I couldn't say the same about the others right now; they were probably still trying to process it too.

I just wished things could go back how they were, but I have a feeling they won't be exactly the same again. I shall just have to wait and see how the rest of them adjust to this new change and I have no doubt that Chopper will help me. He really is naïve and cute, he reminded me of my brother.

* * *

><p>"All Orang-utan divers, terminate search. Return to the ship!" A voice called across the sea in front of the boat. I furrowed my brows. What now?<p>

"We just set sail and we're already encountering something strange…" Luffy said as I lifted my head up and looked over the side of the cabin roof. As soon as Chopper was done with treating my injuries, I had made a quick escape to the cabin roof. I didn't want to have to face the awkwardness with the others straight away.

"But it doesn't look like that guy Usopp," Sanji sighed as they looked forward at the new boat in the water in front of us.

"Yeah, but we still can't tell if there will be trouble," Usopp pointed out from where he had hidden behind Sanji with Chopper. "But we did see him before, right?"

"Yeah, so he's from this island after all, we saw him come back here," Chopper agreed.

"Hmm, even if we meet him again, it doesn't really matter," Luffy shrugged.

"HEY YOU! YEAH YOU!" A voice yelled at us from the other boat to get our attention. I frowned at the large looking monkey sitting in a chair near his ship's figurehead with all his crew was standing along the railing. "STOP CHATTING OVER THERE!"

This was going nowhere too fast for my liking. Fuck the awkwardness still hanging around me and the rest of the crew, I was not going to hide up here any longer in this situation.

With that decided I smoothly stood up, my tail swishing past my heels as it pulled up into its curled position. I then leaped off the roof and onto the railing bellow the cabin, balancing there for a few seconds as I lined my jump up.

'_This is gonna be a pretty far jump_,' I hummed in an unnaturally calm mood, wiggling my bum as I got into position.

"Tsk," The monkey from the other boat tusked when he finally saw our crew. "Jeez and I thought it was somebody dangerous. It was making a little edgy."

'_1… 2... UPP!_' I called out, launching myself straight off the railing and forward. I just skimmed past the bottom of the sail and I flew through the air above the lower decking. I aimed from the railing on the front deck, my eyes zeroed in on my target. My front paws stretched out, ready to touch down the railing, glee lighting up my face with how far I had managed to jump. _'Annndd… TOUCH DOW-OOOF!_'

**BAM**

I miscalculated the amount of room my back paws would need and I ended up shoving myself off the railing, face planting on the deck. I groaned as I looked back up and saw everyone staring at me. Luffy, Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, and everyone from the other boat was gawking awkwardly at me. Embarrassment flooded my systems as some of them sweat-dropped at my sudden crash landing. Suddenly something flashed over Sanji's face.

"MAMORI~ My princess! Are you okay?" He cooed, spinning towards me.

'_I'm good!_' I yelped, untangling my limbs and jumping up before Sanji got to me. I then skittered away from him a little bit, looking at him with wide eyes. This was going to take a lot of getting used to.

"If you ever need my assistance just call my nam-… Oh," He paused in his speech as he realized that I couldn't call his name.

I just flashed him an unsure smile before edging around him and skittering up to Chopper. I hid behind him to try and get everyone's attention off me, poking my head shyly around his side.

'_Dear Gods above… That was rather embarrassing_,' I complained to him as he laughed a little. '_I think next time I'll just walk._'

"That might be smart, or you may injure yourself next time," He said, frowning in worry. I had to resists the urge to glomp him, I can't believe I had been such a bitch to him when we first we met.

"You have a very strange face," Luffy told the monkey looking captain as everyone's attention finally switched away from me. "What species are you?"

"I'm human you punk," The monkey looking human snapped back at Luffy.

"WHHHHAAA!" His crew cried out. "DON'T MESS WITH OUT CAPTAIN!"

I frowned yet again at their hostile attitude, stepping out from behind Chopper. I slipped in front of Usopp and Chopper smoothly, my protective attitude switching back on at the change of moods.

"Forget it, forget it," The monkey waved off with a sigh. "It seems like you guys are pirates! Did you know that Crocodile's seat in the Shichibukai is now empty? If they judge by real strength, that seat should be mine! I am so edgy just waiting."

'_Well, that's a little vain_,' I grumbled at his attitude.

"Ah, you want to join the Shichibukai?" Sanji asked him.

"I know you're wondering why me? I'll tell you something special about me," He said. "Ever since I was born, I never had a haircut. That's 25 years without a haircut! So, did I surprise you?"

'_Chopper… Does this guy display any of the signs of mental illness?_' I tried to contain the evident sound of amusement in my voice. '_This guy is not on the same planet as us.'_

Choppers face broke out in a huge grin and he had to cover his mouth with his hooves so that he didn't laugh out loud, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes.

"You're an idiot," Luffy bluntly told the weird monkey.

"What!" He cried back at us, no longer happy.

"How dare you say that to the captain!" His loyal crew yelled at us.

"Forget it, forget it," The monkey sighed and waved it off yet again. "Jeez, your response really made me edgy. Remember this, passing through the tunnel called 'My fury' will result in a sea of blood."

"Whatever, we have somewhere to go, so get out of my way!" Luffy order, placing his hands on hips.

"You stupid idiot!" The other Captain finally snapped and lost his temper. I was honestly surprised it took him this long with the way Luffy is. "This part of the sea is my territory! If you want to pass, you have to pay the toll!"

"The 'territory' thing again… He talks like Masira," Usopp pointed out from where he was hiding behind Chopper who was hiding behind me.

"Did Masira say that too?" Luffy questioned.

"What? Masira? What happened to Masira!" Monkey man called out.

"Huh? We sent him flying with a kick, but-" Luffy was cut off before he could say anymore.

"YOU SENT HIM FLYING!" He raged, standing up. "FLYING WITH A KICK! HOW DARE YOU TREAT MY BROTHER LIKE THAT!"

"Hey, wait a minute," Luffy said, waving his hand. "We may have kicked him but he's still ali-"

"I WILL AVENGE MASIRA!" He yelled, grabbing a microphone from somewhere and screaming into it. "SOUND WAVE! WAIL OF DESTRUCTION!"

Everything blurred when the sound reached my sensitive dog ears, all of my senses mixing up. I couldn't see properly or hear, everything around me distorted. I stood there with blurred eyes as I tried to get control of my body back, but I couldn't even seem to twitch a muscle.

'_WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!_' I yelled mentally in pain.

The sound slowly got louder and droned on in my ears as it reached the boat, pain radiating in my head. It felt like someone was scratching blackboards in my head. Bile rose in my throat I could not feel anything but the pain spreading in my head.

At some stage I was aware that my legs gave out on me, letting me drop to the deck in a shaking pile of fur. I let out a pathetic whimper, slowly dragging my paws up to try and cover my ears as I tried to escape the sound and pain.

I vaguely felt myself get pulled off of the ground into someone's arms as I tried to curl into a ball to escape the God awful sound. After that I don't remember anything for a few minutes as the sound continued to assault my ears.

* * *

><p>"This is the place on the map," Nami informed us. "What's his name again?"<p>

My head was still thumping from the earlier attack, but we had escaped from the monkey somehow. I was not sure how because I was incapacitated the whole time thanks to the sound the monkey man made. Even after the attack had been stopped I was still a bit out of it for a while after that attack with a huge migraine thanks to my dog hearing. I also figured out later that it had been Sanji, the gentleman, that had saved my ass and picked me up. He wasn't that bad when he wasn't hitting on me or any other female.

"Montblanc Cricket," Robin answered Nami's question.

"The man who talks of dreams…" Nami muttered

"Gah!" Usopp gaped at the sight before us.

"That's so cool!" Luffy yelled as his jaw dropped. "Is this his house! He's filthy rich isn't he!"

I frowned at the loud noises Luffy was making as it caused my head to start thumping again. I leant against the side of the boat, pressing my head against the cool wood as I closed my eyes.

"Stupid, look clearly," Zoro snorted.

"Hmm, a man who dreams…" Sanji sighed. "More like a man who wants attention."

"What are you talking about?" Chopper asked them as the boat pulled up to the shore. Luffy flung himself straight off the boat with no hesitation at all. When would he ever learn? He then quickly ran up to the house to get a better look at it and was rather shocked at what he found.

"IT'S JUST A BOARD!" He yelled.

"WHAT!" Usopp cried back.

"This guy's house is just half the size. The rest is just plywood," Zoro grumbled, leaning against the railing near me.

"Seems like a small cheap house," Sanji pointed out as I heard him pulling up the sails.

"What dreams did he speak about when he was exiled?" Nami asked Robin as I lazily opened my eyes to watch them all.

"I don't know all the details," She replied. "But he talked about a large amount of gold hidden here on Jaya Island."

"GOLD!" Usopp's loud voice rang out, causing my eyes to snap closed again.

"You mean like pirate's treasure!" Nami asked.

"Well, I don't know about that," Robin admitted as everyone else started to climb off the boat as well. Seeing as the rocking of the ship was not helping my headache, I opened my eyes again and slowly ambled up to the front of the boat.

I jumped up onto the railing before leaping over the side of the boat and onto the soft grass below. I notice the others start to spread out, Luffy and Usopp just waltzed into the man's house. Nami was ordering Chopper to dig for gold.

I spotted a nice look tree that was not too far from the house so I trotted over to it, laying down in its shade. I closed my eyes, tuning out to everything around me as I tried to get rid of my headache. If I see that damn monkey again I'm going to shove a banana up his ass for giving me the headache of the century. I didn't even know until now that dogs could get headaches!

* * *

><p>I heard the sound of feet crunching across the grass as someone walked towards the edge of the island. I opened my eyes as I saw Luffy kneel down next to the steep ledge, staring into the water.<p>

'_What is he doing…?_' I blinked. '_One that can't swim should not play with water… It's like poking a spider._'

"WAAAAH!" Luffy yelled suddenly and I watched as he fell forward into the water. My reaction time was less than half of a second as I shot straight up to my feet. I forgot about my headache as I dashed straight towards the water where Luffy had fallen in.

I heard Nami and Usopp yelling in the background but I was concentrating on the form that rose up out of the water where Luffy had fallen in… Or maybe he didn't fall in after all.

"Who are all your people!" He yelled as he climbed back on land and got into a fighting pose. "You punks have got a lot of guts entering a man's house without permission!"

I ignored the dripping wet man, dashing straight past him without a second thought. I knew Sanji or Zoro could deal with this guy; I had more important matters to attend to. I saw him look at me from the corner of my eye and I met him gaze, his eyes widening a bit at my speed and sudden appearance. I didn't even bother slowing down as I passed him and jumped straight off the side of the island and into the water.

The water parted around me as I entered its depths, my blue eyes snapping open as soon as the water settled down around me. I floated under the surface, glancing around for any sign of missing captain. I found him floating down through the water to the left of me, so I spun around and started swimming down towards him, kicking my legs under me.

A soon as I managed to reach my drowning captain I lunged forward, wrapping my jaws around his ankle. I was careful not to bite in too hard as I changed my course of direction, spinning around under water. I then began paddling back up to the surface, dragging Luffy behind me.

My head broke the surface first and I saw Usopp near the edge waiting for me. He quickly grabbed Luffy's ankle out of my mouth, pulling Luffy back onto dry land for me.

"What the hell were you doing?" Usopp scolded him as I heaved myself out of the water as well.

"There were bubbles coming up from under the water…" Luffy mumbled, coughing up some water. "When I looked in the water there was a kind of chestnut, but it was really that old guy and he pulled me in!"

Talking about the old man, I noticed that he was collapsed in the ground between Sanji and Zoro and they both looked shocked about it… What happened?

* * *

><p>*Ketchup Star<p>

**Beta read by praeses**


	38. Knock Up Stream

**Sorry for the slow update guys! To make up for it, this chapter is extra long! It's over 10,000 words long. Again, thanks to all my reviewers. :) Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Dysbarism*?" Zoro asked as he leant back against the wall in the old man's house. I was sitting on a box on the other side of the room; silently watching at Chopper treated Mr. Chestnut.<p>

"Ah, you mean he's sick?" Luffy concluded.

"Yes, its various symptoms divers experience sometimes," Chopper explained as he put a wet cloth on the man's forehead. "But it's not a long term illness and should pass. It happens on a diver's descent, when excess nitrogen enters the body's blood and tissue. Then, on the ascent, the chemicals diffuse out in the form of bubbles, causing various symptoms."

"Yeah, weird sick stuff," Luffy said as he leant out of the closest window.

"He must have been diving every day and not letting the bubbles dissolve properly," Chopper continued.

"Why would he?" Nami questioned in confusion.

"I don't know why, but it's very dangerous," He responded. "In some cases it can be lethal."

**BANG**

"BOSS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!" Two loud voices screamed as the door was smashed open. I jumped up in the air like a frightened cat, spinning around and aiming for the sick man's bed. I landed on the edge of his bed, facing the two idiotic monkeys whom had just about smashed down the house.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds as everyone stared at each other, no one moving.

"AHHHH!" Usopp suddenly screamed, throwing his arms up in the air. "THEY'RE HERE TO KILL US!"

"AHHH!" Chopper joined in the screaming as he ran for it.

'_Oh hell!_' I growled mentally. '_I didn't realize I'd need have to have a banana ready this early…_'

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Mr. Vain yelled at us.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE BOSS!" The Ape ragged, throwing his fists up.

"We are taking care of him, so leave us alone!" Luffy answered rather calmly.

"THEY WON'T LISTEN! THEY ARE BEASTS! EVERYONE, ESCAPE THROUGH THE WINDOW!" Usopp panicked.

"THEY'RE SUCH GREAT GUYS!" Both apes called out, tears running down their face.

'_They listened…._' I gaped, blinking owlishly at their sudden attitude change.

* * *

><p>"Do you two live out here too?"<p>

"Actually our boss's home is also the headquarters of the 'United Primate Armed Forces'," Mr. Ape said to Luffy who was sitting on the table outside. The two apes were sitting the chairs and talking to him like they were all long lost friends. Usopp and Zoro had stationed themselves either side of the door.

I had gone outside as well to get out of everyone's road and to calm my social phobia that come on due to being in such a small space with so many people. I almost went to go sprawl myself over Zoro's legs, but I had to hold myself back when I remembered that he knew I was not a proper dog. I was not sure if I would ever do that to any of them again…

Instead I had ambled to a random patch of grass, flopping to the ground on my side.

"This house is too small for us," Mr. Orangutan laughed. "Whohohoho!"

"You two are big, but compared to the giants you're like ear wax next to them," Luffy chuckled.

"How can they get along so well?" Usopp sweat-dropped.

"They're just simple minded," Zoro sighed and I couldn't stop the smirk that slipped onto my muzzle.

"Even so, you are so small and yet you can send this guy flying with a kick. Such an impressive feat!" Mr. Vain laughed, patting his friend on the back.

"You could do it too," Luffy informed him.

"Huh?" He muttered. "Really?"

"Yup!" Luffy smiled just as Chopper opened the door and walked out.

"Luffy! He's awake!" Chopper said, waving one of his arms.

**BAM**

I heard the sound of fleshing hitting flesh and my head shot up in time to see Mr. Ape flying off in the distances thanks to a kick from his friend.

"Oh! He really flew!" The Orangutan said in a surprised manner.

"He's awake?" Luffy asked Chopper, completely ignoring the two monkeys.

'_Well… That's just fucked…_' I muttered, staring at where I last saw the big ape. '_I don't think he is a boomerang…So how is he going to come back? Is he even going to come back?_'

I watched quietly as everyone else but the other monkey made their way inside, but I didn't feel like moving from my comfortable spot in the sun. I wasn't really fussed about learning what conversation went on in there. This is Luffy we are talking about. If he wants to go to Sky Island, he'll find a way come hell or high water. So, I was better off not worrying about it and just going with the flow. That way, I didn't start panicking about anything until the last second when it started happening. Then I would freak the fuck out.

It was not long before I heard a huge splash from the water and I looked up to see someone heaving themselves back onto land.

"SHOOOUUJOUUU!" The angry ape screamed, throwing his fists up in the air. "YOU KICKED ME! THAT MUST MEAN YOU ARE PREPARED FOR WHAT I'M GOING TO DO!"

'_Well hey… He may be part boomerang after all,_' I sighed, rolling over onto my stomach to see what would happen.

"Oooh!" Mr. Vain cried, pumping his fist. "You are very good at finding excuses to piss me off Masira! Don't test my fury!"

Next thing I knew the two were wrestling each other, sticking fingers up each other noses and shoving their faces into the dirt. I watched, my ears flickering back and forth at their stupidity. They were worse than the people I call my friends.

After a few minutes of their stupid wrestling they finally stopped when their Boss walked out of the house. They automatically straightened themselves up, dusting their pants off as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Oh!" Mr. Ape called out in greeting. "Boss! How are you feeling?"

"Top shape," He said simply, walking up the edge of the island. "Now, listen up. Do you like them?"

"Why are you asking this?" Mr. Vain questioned as I watched them silently from my spot on the ground. Apparently it was easy to forget a dog, not that I didn't already know that or anything. It was sort of hard not to notice.

"They seem to want to go to Sky Island," Their boss said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But there is only one way to reach Sky Island," Mr. Vain pointed out.

'_Oh?_' My ears perked up at this titbit of information. '_So there is a way to get there?_'

"If they do it alone, they will die for sure, Boss!" Mr. Ape protested.

'_Oh…_' I muttered, my mood deflating.

"Well then… Should we… Give them a hand?"

"YEAH!" Both monkeys cheered, throwing up their arms.

'_Luffy will be so pleased!_' I smile happily.

Speak and the devil and he shall appear; it was at the moment the door to the house opened and a few of the others walked out. Cricket told Luffy to listen to him for a second and then Nami, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all got seated around the table to listen to him.

Zoro walked out behind them, not interested in sitting with the whole group. I heard his footsteps come towards me and I frowned in confusion. Why was he walking this way? I froze and tensed up when I he sat down beside me, holding my breath as I tried to figure it out.

He knew what I was now, right? So why the hell did he purposely come and sit next to me? It doesn't make sense!

I slowly turned my head around so that I could gape at him openly. He caught my look and turned his head around to stare back at me, raising an eyebrow. I saw his face twitch when I continued to gape like the idiot I was.

"What?" He asked gruffly, frowning at me.

'_N-Nothing!_' I yelped, ducking my head.

So... He didn't hate me? He didn't care? What the hell is wrong with these people! In some queer and selfish way, I couldn't help how happy I felt about that. I thought things would be awkward for ages afterwards but these guys never fail to surprise me. So… These guys are what one would call true friends?

I mentally did a happy dance at Zoro's niceness before I wiggled a bit, pressing myself up against Zoro's leg with a silent smirk.

"Oi! Don't get too clingy," He grumbled, but didn't push me away. He just muttered something under breath before crossing his arms and hanging his head. Within seconds he was asleep.

"Listen carefully!" Boss man called out, putting his hands on his hips as he stood before the others. "I'll tell you all I know about Sky Island. However, not everything I know can be proven true. It's up to you to decide whether to believe me or not."

"Yes, I believe you," Luffy answered straight away.

"Don't make the decision yet!" Usopp hissed, smacking Luffy over the back of the head.

"In some parts of the sea during the day," The man began to explain, waving his arm in the direction of the sea. "It would suddenly become dark as if it is nighttime."

"Oh! I've seen it!" Luffy called out in excitement, raising his hand. "I've seen that happen!"

"Yes! It suddenly became nighttime and monsters appeared," Usopp confirmed.

"For those giants, I have a few theories about where they came from. But I won't mention that right now," He continued. "In regards to the sudden arrival of night, it is caused by shadows cast by a very dense cloud."

"Nimbostratus?" Nami questioned. "Clouds like that don't cause the sky to turn completely black."

"Mister! You're so stupid!" Luffy rudely butted in. "Days with lots of clouds are just cloudy!"

"Yeah, just cloudy," Usopp agreed.

"Yah!" Chopper echoed. "Cloudy!"

"BE QUIET AND LISTEN!" The monkey's boss screamed at them all.

I snickered quietly to myself, surprised he had waited this long to yell. These guys were hard enough to stand at the best of times.

"Millennium cumulonimbus is the name for that piece of cloud," He got back to explaining it again. "It does not ascend nor rain. But when it appears in the sky, the sun light gets blocked completely. The daytime on the ground becomes nighttime. Some say that the millennium cumulonimbus has been in existence for millions of years, it won't change form and it continued to float around in the sky as if it was a cloud fossil."

"It won't produce precipitation even at great density? It's not possible…" Nami mumbled.

"It's up to you to believe me," He reminded her. "I didn't say you have to believe."

"So it's an impossible cloud?" Luffy asked.

"More or less," He sighed, crossing his arms. "It's something that still can't be explained."

"Luffy is so smart!" Chopper gasped, sparkles appearing around his face.

'_Oi!_' I twitched. '_Luffy better not start corrupting Chopper… He's way too naïve…_'

"Listen! If sky Island does exist, it must be inside that cloud!" Mr. Boss said.

"Alright!" Luffy cried, springing up from the chair. "I got it! Let's go to that cloud! Zoro! Wake up!"

"Huh?" Zoro muttered, rubbing his face as he woke up. "It's morning?"

'_Your sense of time is as bad as your sense of direction_,' I deadpanned.

"Everyone! Man your posts!" Usopp yelled, pumping his fists. "Turn the ship toward the cloud in the sky! Thanks for telling us those thing mister!"

"We don't know how to get there!" Nami screamed at them. "How many times do I need to tell you that!"

"'The current that shoots upward', if you can get on this current, you can get to the sky, understand?" He asked as everyone seated themselves again.

"You mean… The current blows the ship? Upwards?" Nami asked in disbelief.

"Really? We just need to get blown to the sky on of the cloud, huh?" Luffy laughed. "Hahaha!"

"Using a sea current?" Usopp asked, a slight bit of fear in his voice now.

'_You know this is not going to end well, right?_' I sighed. '_This shit never ends well when it involves you guys…_'

"But then, I heard that the ship that gets blown into the sky will crash back down into the sea…" Nami question him. "I heard it in Mock Town."

"Normally this is the case," He confirmed. "The key here is timing. Firstly, you get blown into the sky, which sounds easy, but it is not as easy as one might think. Knock-Up Stream is actually a disaster. It's something people normally avoid."

Usopp visibly paled a bit at this new information.

"Why does the current blow upwards?" Nami asked. "We have never heard of that before…"

"The reason that monstrous current, this is just a just a theory because no one is dumb enough to rush in to investigate!" He lectured. "The theory is like this: In the bottom of the sea, there are some big caves. The cold water flows into the caves and then is heated up by the earth, creating a lot of water vapour that causes a very powerful pressure. The pressure creates an explosion at one point. This kind of explosion shoots sea water straight into the sky for about one minute."

"To be able to shoot water upwards for 1 minute… What kind of explosion is that!" Nami gasped.

"The location of the explosion is different each time, but the frequency appearance is about five times a month," Cricket said.

"…" Usopp was silent, horror written all over his face. "…We may crash down into pieces."

"Furthermore…Never mind," He sighed, turning his back on us. "Trying to use logic and words to describe such a grand natural event is just foolish."

"Then…In other words, the Sky Island needs to coincidentally be there…" Nami trailed off.

"Though these currents only happen 5 times a month!" Usopp reminded him, standing up and gaping.

"Yes," He confirmed bluntly. "If there is nothing on top… You will fall back down and everyone will become fish food. Even if you successfully enter the Millennium Cumulonimbus, if Sky Island does not exist, you will crash back down."

"In that case, we'll forget about Sky Island, right Luffy!" Usopp laughed nervously. "Hahah… So unfortunate, Luffy. This can't be helped! Only the luckiest among the luckiest amount the luckiest person… Can get up there!"

'_That's not going to work Usopp_,' I closed my eyes, the image of the ship falling and crashing to the sea, flashing behind my eyes. Sometimes I love Luffy… And other times I want to gag him and stuff him a closet.

"Don't worry! Let's just go!" Luffy chirped, smiling widely.

"Don't worry?" Usopp cried. "You mean you trust that kind of thing without proof? Just look at the Going-Merry's current condition! Like this, it's impossible to withstand such a giant disaster!"

"True! But even if that ship is new, it still can't handle the current," Mr. Boss pointed out.

"WHAT!" Usopp yelped in anger.

"Speed… Weight… Force… Judging from those points the shop will be blown to pieces by the current," He mumbled as he looked at the Going-Merry.

"But… Yeah! So it just can't be done!" Usopp sounded happy to have an excuse.

"However," He interrupted. "I can have Masira and Shoujou help you to solve this problem. But, we need to reinforce that ship's hardiness first of course!"

"OHHH!" The two monkeys yelled as they stuck their heads through the windows of the house. "YOU CAN COUNT ON US!"

"Thanks for your help!" Luffy called back, waving.

"Did you forget!" Nami started to pester Luffy. "We cannot stay any longer than one day! After that the log pose will start pointing to the next island!"

"Yeah! Yeah! There's no time!" Usopp agreed before turning back to Cricket. "Hey! Cricket! You can't predict the future, so you know when the Millennium Cumulonimbus will happen to be on top of the Knock-Up Stream, right? It'll probably be a few days, months, or even years, right?"

"It'll probably be tomorrow at noon! We need to start preparing if we want to go," He answered Usopp.

"WHAT!" Usopp yelled back, his eyes popping out. "It's not too late? DAMN!"

"If you don't really want to go, then don't," He shrugged.

"You… You're lying!" Usopp accused, pointing a finger at him.. "Come to think of it, we only met you today! Yet you are being so nice to us! Suspicious isn't it! Furthermore!"

'_Oi, Usopp…_' I frowned, wondering if I should get up and stop him. '_Now you're just being rude…_'

"Hey, Usopp!" Luffy tried to interrupt.

"Shut up Luffy!" Usopp snapped. "You say that the best opportunity to reach an uncertain location like Sky Island just happens to be tomorrow! You even want to remodel out ship and help us sail there! These things are too perfect! What kind of sinister plan do you have hidden! You are the descendant of that 'Noland, the King of Liars'! You can't be trusted!"

'_This has gone too far_,' I grumbled, my eyes narrowed in Usopp's direction. '_He has the right to be suspicious, but that does not give him the right to say that sort of stuff to someone._'

It was then that the door of the house smashed open and three idiots stuck their head out.

"Boss!" Mr. Ape called out. "The meal is ready! Today's food is really special!"

"Nami~ Mamori~ The meal is served!" Sanji cooed.

"This guy is a really good cook!" Mr. Vain added. "I'm so edgy!"

"I told you, I'm a first rate cook!" Sanji said.

They all went silent when they noticed the tense atmosphere around the area with Usopp squaring up in front of Cricket.

"You wanna fight!" He asked, putting up his fist.

"In Masira's…" Cricket started to say as he walked towards Usopp. "In his territory, two days after the night-fall incident happens, the Millennium Cumulonimbus will appear in the sky to the South. Judging from the calendar, the current will also happen tomorrow. And this time it shall take place south of here, even though can't give you a 100% guarantee. Tomorrow will very likely be a perfect chance. I'm very happy to meet fearless idiots like you. Come, let's go eat! Just enjoy my hospitality in my home for today comrade."

A shocked look crossed Usopp's face as Cricket walked straight past his and towards the house. Usopp probably felt bad now.

"Hehehe!" Luffy laughed, before turning around and running towards the house. "Let's eat! Usopp! Hurry up!"

"Hey, Chopper. Go tell Robin to come too!" Nami told Chopper as the rest of them began to head towards the house.

I slowly heaved myself up and off my feet at the same time Zoro stood up. We then both turned around and headed to the house as well, leaving Nami to talk quickly to Usopp. I purposely ignored what they said, but I knew Nami must have said something encouraging when Usopp suddenly ran towards Cricket and latched onto his pants, bawling.

"CRICKET! I'M SO SORRY!" He sobbed.

"Wait!" He protested, trying to shake him off. "Don't wipe your nose on my pants!"

* * *

><p>"Here you are my princess!" Sanji cooed as he placed a large plate of food before me. My eyes almost bugged out of my head at the sight of it. I was used to eating what was leftover, I was a dog after all. "I have unfortunately neglected your nutrition up to now! It's unforgivable! So for now on, you shall only get the best of the best!"<p>

'_Ah…_' I mumbled, shocked by his over the top attitude. '_Thank you Sanji, that's very kind of you._'

"He does know he's talking to a dog, right?" Mr. Ape asked in the background. I didn't like the tone he used when he said that so I slowly turned my head around like a doll in the horror movies. My blue eyes narrowed in on him as I stared silently at him. I saw him sweat-drop at my look.

"She's not just a dog!" Luffy laughed. "She's a magic dog!"

'_Wait… Since when?_' I protested to myself.

"A magic dog?" Mr. Vain muttered.

"She's apparently a human in a dog's body," Nami explained to them.

"WHAT!" The two monkeys yelped, their eyes popping out as they looked at me.

'_Hey! I ain't no side show fools!_' I snapped, turning my head away from them in a snobbish way. '_Chopper, could you please tell them that it unnerves me whenever anyone stares at me like I'm some fucking attraction at a fair… Plus they're covered in more fur then me, so they're the animals here!_'

"She says 'it unnerves me whenever anyone stares at me like I'm some fucking attraction at a fair… Plus they're covered in more fur then me, so they're the animals here!'," Chopper translated for me and I couldn't help but flinch at the way he said 'fucking'. There are some words that shouldn't come out of Chopper's mouth, and that was one of them. I needed to start watching my foul mouth around him.

"OI!" The two apes protested, diving at me at the same time. I yelped in shock at their sudden attack, jumping up from the ground as I skittered out of their way. They both smashed into the ground, splattering my food all over themselves as I backed up to a safe distance away. I should have seen that one coming.

"HEY! THAT WAS MAMORI'S FOOD!" Sanji snapped, slamming his foot down on the back of their heads.

'_And this is why I probably don't have the right to talk_,' I giggle mentally, trying to look innocently to the side. _'I have verbal vomit disease. Things come spewing out of my mouth before I get a chance to think about it._'

Sanji quickly got me some more food and handed out the food and drink to everyone else. The noise level in the small house was phenomenal and it had my ears ringing again. Usopp used his hot sauce trick on the two monkeys, causing them to go off on him. Zoro then got involved in a drinking contest with the two as Cricket tried to flirt with Nami. Sanji quickly took care of that problem.

They only quiet ones were Robin and myself who were sitting back against the wall and away from the others. I noticed she had a book in her hands which piqued my interest. I slipped around the others and walked up to Robin, sitting down next to her.

She sent me one of her fake smiles that meant nothing and I nodded my head in greeting. I was going to make it my mission to see if I could get a proper smile out of her one day. I wonder what it looked like…

Then I wiggled right up to her, trying to peek over her shoulder at the book she was reading. My eyes scanned over the pages and I noted that it was a log book. Robin just chuckled quietly at my behaviour and kept reading with me reading over her shoulder. Thank God she knew that I was a human or this may have been rather awkward.

"Hmm?" She paused when we both noticed some odd writing on the page.

"In the skull's right eye, gold is seen," And eerier voice said we both look up only to see Cricket's face directly in ours. I froze, blinking owlishly at his sudden appearance and his close proximity.

"Gold?" Nami asked from the background, her ears like radars for the magic word 'gold'.

"The page that has a teardrop on it is Noland's last words…" Cricket said as he stood up and took a long swig of his drink. "His sentence was carried out that day. I still don't understand what that passage means. The skulls right eye? Is that a city that was here before? Or is it hinting his death? It's all blank after that."

"That's why we need to go underwater!" Mr. Ape exclaimed.

"Day dreamed in the bottom of the sea!" Mr. Vain added.

A bit more time passed as everyone finished their meals and then Cricket decided he was going to start reading and acting out some of the logs from the log book.

"The diary entry on the 21/5/1122," He said, raising his hand to his ear. "'When we reached the Island, we heard a unique chirping sound from a mysterious bird in the forest and very, very loud ringing of bells. The sound from those gigantic beautiful bells made of gold can be heard from all corners of the sea, like a message delivering the city's glory in the old day. The change in civilizations throughout he ages in the endless oceans… Is for us who have lived but a few dozen years! A grand matter that leaves us speechless! For a while after that, we would always feel uneasy when we heard the bells!'"

"NOLAND!" Mr. Ape cheered loudly along with everyone else in the room. Only Robin and I weren't getting all into it, we just sat back and smiled upon them.

"He said there were gigantic and beautiful golden bells!" Nami gasped, her eyes turning into beli.

"Oh? So you like Noland after all Cricket?" Usopp asked.

"Take a look at this!" He said as he pulled out a three golden bells and placed it in front of himself as he sat down.

"WOW! GOLDEN BELLS!" Nami yelped, scooping one up and cuddling it.

"But how is this considered gigantic?" Usopp asked, confused by the small size of the bell.

"This is not the one mentioned in Noland's log. This is a bell shaped token. We found three in the seabed," He explained.

"So…The Golden City existed after all?" Luffy asked him.

"Not necessarily!" Mr. Vain burst Luffy's bubble. "Small amounts of gold like this is common in ruins."

"Regardless," Robin said as I turned my head to the side to watch her. She normally didn't talk much unless she had something interesting to say. "This proves that an ancient civilization lived in this area. Token were made to organize gold pieces into milligram units. Meaning they were used for trade, like coins."

"That's right," Cricket confirmed. "Also, the mysterious birds that make strange sounds... Masira!"

"Okay!" Mr. Ape replied, unwrapping a gold figure of a bird.

"Wow! There's more?" Luffy gasped.

"This one is much bigger," Zoro pointed out.

"This is the last of them," He explained. "Haha! 10 years and I only found these, really not worth it…"

"Wow… So pretty!" Nami admired the statue of the bird.

"What's this? A penguin?" Luffy muttered as he stared at it.

The gold itself held no interest to me, so I just sat back with Robin as they others all fawned over it.

"A bird holding a golden bell?" Sanji said. "Could this be the symbol of Jaya?"

"Not sure," He shrugged. "I believe that this is a part of some greater symbol… The bird is called the South Bird, they still exist on this island."

"Their chirping sounds weird, right?" Luffy asked and I had to choke down my shock. Luffy had just learnt something… The world is coming to end. They sky is going to fall! Oh, wait. We were going up to meet the sky… Is that a good sign or a bad sign?

"Yes, like they describe it in the diary," Cricket confirmed.

"Speaking of the South Bird, ever since long ago, the sailors…" Mr. Ape trailed off as a weird look passed over his and his friends faces.

"DAMN IT!" All three of them yelled at once, causing me to jump in alarm.

"This is bad!" Cricket panicked. "You should go to the forest quickly! Go to the forest south of here!"

"Huh? What are you saying? Are you stupid?" Luffy asked him.

"Catch one of these birds right away!" He order, pointing to the statue.

"What! Why!" Usopp yelped in confusion.

"Bird… For what?" Sanji questioned.

"Listen carefully, the Knock-Up Stream that exists directly south of here… How do you think you will get there?" Cricket questioned him.

"Just sail south," Luffy replied, calmly crossing his arms as if it was no big deal.

"No! This is the Grand Line!" Cricket reminded him. "Once you set sail, you lose all sense of direction!"

"OH!" Nami gasped. "That's right! Since our destination is not an Island, but part of the sea… The log pose will not work! Then, what do we do to ensure our direction?"

"That's why you need the bird," Cricket pointed out. "It is said that some animals contain some bio-compass that enhances their direction sense."

"I have heard that pigeons also have this ability," Nami said.

"So, Zoro, you are worse than some animal!" Luffy laughed at Zoro.

"And who are you to judge!" Zoro yelled back.

"Among those animals, the South Bird has the best sense of direction. No matter how far you move the bird, it'll always point to the right direction," Cricket explained. "In other words, you can't do anything without a bird like that! You won't be able to even try getting onto Sky Island!"

"AHH!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper yelped.

"HOW COME YOU MENTION IT JUST NOW!" Luffy protested.

"It's way past midnight! Yet we have to go to the forest!" Usopp yelled.

"Quit complaining," Cricket snorted. "There's no time! The three of us will enhance your crappy ship now. Come to think of it, this wasn't really time for a party…"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT EARLIER!"

* * *

><p>"Waah!" Usopp cried, clinging to the back of Sanji's shirt. "It's pitch black!"<p>

"Don't pull!" Sanji protested.

"I ate so much that it's hard to move," Chopper sighed.

"Hurry and catch one, I want to drink more," Zoro grumbled as he tromped along.

"Why did it turn out like this?" Nami complained, hugging herself.

'_Exactly what I want to know,_' I sighed to myself, walking along behind the others as we wandered through the forest. Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji all had nets to catch the bird if we saw one and the rest of us had to come to be spare eyes. Not that I was complaining, the dark forest just wasn't the best place to be at night. You could hardly see anything; only Chopper and I would hear or smell if something was coming.

"Damn. This kind of thing should be done during the daytime!" Usopp sobbed, letting go of Sanji.

"So… Where's the bird?" Luffy asked.

"If I know, we wouldn't have to all come," Zoro pointed out to him.

"The only clues we are it makes a strange chirping sound and looks like the golden bird statue," Sanji reminded us all.

"Is there really a weird bird like that?" Zoro asked, looking around the area.

"And 'strange chirping sounds' is too vague!" Usopp complained. "How can we tell?"

"Cricket said we'll know when we enter the forest," Sanji said.

"CHOH~"

My ears perked straight up at the strange call of a bird, my head snapping up as I tried to locate the exact source of the sound.

'_It couldn't be…_' I gasped. '_That's too easy!_'

"AHH!" The others cried, all their heads cracking around to face the sound. "A STRANGE CHIRPING SOUND!"

"Alright!" Luffy called, lifting up his net. "Let's do it!"

"Three nets, so split up into three groups!" Sanji order.

* * *

><p>My head turned in worry when the sound of screaming reached my ears, my eyes widening as my heart skipped a beat. The others were in trouble!<p>

"I heard screaming…" Robin said to Zoro.

"Ignore them," Zoro ordered her as he cut down another giant centipede that was in our way.

'_IGNORE THEM?_' I yelped. '_But what if they are in trouble!_'

"A centipede…" He observed as he put his sword back. "An annoyingly overgrown one!"

"Killing every one of them is probably bad…They are so pitiful…" Robin sighed.

"They attacked me first," Zoro shrugged. "By the way…I know you're hiding you're true intentions. I still don't trust you! Don't forget that."

I looked back and forth between both of them, my brows furrowed in worry. The last thing we need is the two of them fighting. But, although I didn't approve with Zoro's way of going about it, I still agreed with him. It was obvious that Robin's motives were not the same as ours at the moment, so she could not be fully trusted. But, at the same time I did not want to be cruel to her.

"Mamori," Zoro called as he started to walk off again.

'_Coming,_' I sighed, trotting loyally after him while glancing over my shoulder at Robin.

"Just so you know…" Robin began to say.

"What?" Zoro replied.

"The way you are heading is the way back," She informed us.

'_Fuck_,' I swore embarrassedly when I realized she was right. I needed to stop worrying about the others and pay more attention to what we were doing.

"CHOH~"

"The chirping sound," Robin mumbled.

'_Where is it now_!' I frowned, glancing around.

"Come, this way," She called as she started to walk off in the direction of the bird. "Be careful not to step on the slime."

"…Hey," Zoro protested. "Wait for me…"

"CHOH~"

* * *

><p>"There is no end to this!" Zoro called out as we all squared off with odd looking bugs. "Why are you beetles fighting me! Get out of the way!"<p>

My eyes were narrowed at the dozens of giant beetles that had surrounded us and attacked. As soon as they all jumped out into the open I had jumped straight in front of Robin while Zoro took care of a few of them. They were all as tall as Zoro and there were tons of them that had come from basically nowhere. Any attempt I had made to talk them down had fell on deaf ears as they just ignored me… Wait. Did bugs have ears?

"You actually think you can win! Huh?" Zoro called out to them, pointing at them.

Another of the bugs lunged at me, its fists raised as it tried to take a swing at me. I quickly jumped up in the air, jumping up and over the bug's swing so that it couldn't hit me. I then kicked my back feet out while in the air, nailing the bug in the jaw with a solid blow that knocked it back. It made a pathetic crying sound as it hit the ground that almost made me pity it. Almost.

"Just now, I heard the chirping sound," Robin said as I landed on the ground next to her.

'_This is getting us nowhere!_' I complained.

* * *

><p>"We can hear but never see one," Zoro said as we all gathered back together after all failing to catch a South Bird. We all heard or seen the bird, but no one had actually managed to get ahold of one.<p>

"We saw one, but the bugs were everywhere, there was no time to catch the bird!" Luffy grumbled as he sat on the tree root.

"I can't take it!" Usopp huffed. "We have eight people but can't catch one! You guys should try harder!"

"Speak for yourself," Sanji snorted at him.

"I don't have any more strength to run!" Nami complained.

'_If everything in the forest was not against us, we wouldn't be having these problems_,' I pointed out.

"CHOH~"

I visibly twitched as everyone looked up to see the bird sitting tauntingly in a tree above us.

I felt that niggling in the back of the mind, like when I had talked to Eyelashes or the Ducks. I slowly switched in as the bird taunted us, '_Did you catch anything? Dumb-ass!_'

'_Come down here and I'll tell you then!_' I spat back at it. '_And I may just have a gift for you too if you come down! A good kick in the beak! Exactly what you wanted, right?_'

"It said, 'Did you catch anything? Dumb-ass!'…" Chopper translated for the others.

"WHAT!" Luffy raged. "He showed up on purpose to say that! I will hit him down!"

"Choh?" The bird blink in confusion as two arms sprouted out of its side. The arms wrapped snuggly around its body as it was shoved off the tree by another of Robin's hands, thumping to the ground as everyone stood there sweat-dropping.

"As long as I can see it," Robin shrugged.

* * *

><p>"CRICKET!"<p>

"MASIRA!"

"SHOUJOU!"

Almost everyone cried out in shock when we got the house and saw what waited there for us. It had my blood running cold and my heart dropping in my chest. It looked like the other three were attacked while we were away and even the Going-Merry had been smashed up pretty bad. Their house had also been destroyed and all three of them were laying around in different places, blood and bruises all over them. How had I not heard this!

'_WHO DID THIS! I WILL STRING THEM UP FROM A TREE BY THEIR JUGULAR!_' I yelled, my eyes searching around to see if anyone was still here.

"Sorry…" Cricket gasped as Luffy and I ran up to him.

"Ahh! Mister! Hey, mister! You awake?" Luffy asked, kneeling down and lifting up his head.

"...Really…Sorry…" He panted as blood dribbled out of his mouth. "We tried to…Couldn't help…But…There is still time before dawn…We must enhance the ship…"

"Wait, mister!" Luffy protested. "Tell me what happened!"

"It's okay now…Don't worry about it!" He gritted out as he forced himself to sit up. I flittered around him, on the verge of freaking out. He looked badly injured and the fool was trying to get up! "It's alright now…More importantly…You guys…Caught a South Bird."

"LUFFY!" Nami's panicked voice called as she ran out of the house. "THE GOLD! IT'S GONE!"

Shocked looks crossed everyone's face at this new piece of information. Someone had done this all just for some gold! Fucking sons of a whoring cactus!

"…Ah... Hah," He tried to laugh it off. "Doesn't matter… Things like that should just be forgotten! You guys…"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'THINGS LIKE THAT'!" Usopp yelled at him. "YOU SPENT 10 YEARS AND EVEN LOST YOUR HEALTH TO FIND THOSE PIECES!"

"Shut up…" He sighed in reply. "It doesn't matter…It's my problem. Listen to me, with the entire United Primate Armed Forces, fixing and enhancing that ship is not a problem…We can have it done by dawn, it won't hinder your schedule. You guys…I will send you to the sky no matter what!"

'_Would you just shut up and worry about yourself!_' I snapped, my ears folded back in worry. He really looked like he'd kick the bucket any second.

"Cricket…" Usopp muttered.

"Hey, Luffy," Zoro called out for his attention, pointing his thumb at something painted on the wall.

"It's Bellamy's symbol!" Nami gasped when she recognized it.

'_Who?'_ I mumbled.

"Want my help?" Zoro asked casually.

"I can do it alone," Luffy waved him off casually.

"No way, Luffy! Quit fooling around! We have less than 3 hours before dawn!" Nami protested.

Luffy turned to Robin and asked, "If I run along the beach, I can reach that city we were in, right?"

"Yes, you can," Robin confirmed without hesitation.

"Hey! Kid! Where are you going!" Cricket yelled as tried to get back up. "Don't butt into my business! You already know who…"

Cricket trailed off as I put my front two paws on his legs to hold him down and Zoro held his sword in front of Cricket so that he couldn't stop Luffy. I know Luffy well enough to know that when someone messes with his friends, they were not going to come out unscathed.

"If you want to stop him, you have to use this," Zoro said, referring to his sword he was holding out.

"I will be back before dawn," Luffy said in his scary voice as he started to walk off.

* * *

><p>"What is he doing right now!" Nami yelled out, hands on her hips. "Ah! That idiot! It's already morning! He is already 46 minutes late! If this goes on we won't reach the Knock-Up Stream in time! It must be because he has to carry the heavy weight of the, that is why he is late. With his brain, he wouldn't know how to calculate how much time it takes to come back!"<p>

'… _Got anything else to add while you are at it?'_ I questioned, sweating dropping as I stared at a pissed off Nami. The ship had been fixed by now and the two monkeys and Cricket had been patched up. Now we were all just sitting outside and waiting for Luffy to get back.

"No, he probably never even had the notion of calculating time," Usopp sighed.

"Yeah, I'm 100% sure that is it," Sanji agreed.

"Could he have been beaten in the town?" Chopper mumbled in worry.

"If he lost the fight, I won't forgive him even if he came back!" Nami snapped, clenching her fist.

"What do you want him to do?" Zoro muttered.

"HEY!" Luffy's voice called out as we all turned to see him running along the shore towards us.

"It's that kid!" Mr. Ape exclaimed happily. "Great! He's finally back!"

"I DID IT!" Luffy yelled, holding up his arm.

"Luffy! Hurry! We are already behind schedule!" Nami reminded him.

"LOOK AT THIS!" He called out in excitement, waving his hand around in the air. "IT'S A HERCULES BUG!"

"WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU DOING!" Nami, Usopp, and Zoro screamed at him as their jaws dropped.

'_You've got to be kidding_,' I deadpanned.

"WOW! AMAZING!" Luffy yelled out as he dropped his arm and stopped in front of our pimped out ship.

"This is the Going-Merry Aero-mode!" Usopp declared, waving his arm at the ship that was now patched up. Along with that patch up job, the Going merry now also had a pair of wings, a tail and someone had dressed Merry's figure head up as a bird.

"IT LOOKS LIKE A TURKEY!" Luffy yelled, sparkles in his eyes.

"I THOUGHT SO TOO!" Usopp agreed, all hyped up now.

"I feel uneasy whenever I see that thing…" Nami sighed and I couldn't help but agree with her. Poor, poor Merry.

"It's alright," Zoro said. "It really looks more like a turkey instead of a chicken or pigeon…"

"I'm not worrying about that! Stupid idiot!" She snapped back at him.

'_That thing is going to give me nightmares…_' I muttered. '_It looks like some demented animal hybrid between a turkey and a goat._'

Everyone quickly got into action after a bit of chatting about the current look of the ship. Everyone but Luffy jumped up onto the ship; instead he went to have a private talk with Cricket.

As soon as my feet touched the decking of the boat, I was on the move. I first walked one lap around the railing of the ship, memorizing all the changes that were made. It would be handy to know all the changes that were made because we would be in a hurry to get out of here soon.

"LET'S GO!" Luffy yelled as he launched himself up and into the boat.

"Everyone, set sail!" Nami ordered.

"Alright!" Usopp cheered, pumping his fist.

"Yes Nami~" Sanji cooed.

Luffy quickly made his way to the back of the boat where Cricket was waiting for him on the shore. I shadowed his footsteps, perching on the new ship's tail as Luffy leaned over it.

"Kid! We will part here!" Cricket called out. "There is one thing… One thing that is absolutely certain! It is that about the Golden City and Sky Island… There has never been anyone how could prove they do not exist!"

"Mhmm!" Luffy agreed.

"Other might laugh at us, but that doesn't matter!" Cricket told us as he threw his arms up. "This is… Romantic!"

"It's romantic?" Luffy gasped.

"Yup!" He replied. "For the gold… Thanks. Don't crash you guys!"

"Hehehehe," Luffy laughed back. "Bye mister!"

* * *

><p>I was jolted awake by a quick kick to the ribs as Nami hissed, "Mamori! Be more serious! Don't sleep at a time like this!"<p>

I slowly lifted my head up, looking around in confusion. When had I fallen asleep? It took me a few more minutes to process things thanks to all the confusion that was going on around me; namely the dark cloud looming overhead. It seems I had fallen asleep up the front of the ship whilst waiting for us to get to our destination.

'_Oh hell…_' I gasped as I lifted myself back up and onto my feet. '_It's time._'

"The Millennium Cumulonimbus appeared earlier than expected!" Nami called out to the rest of the crew who were spread around the boat. "We still have not located the Knock-Up Stream yet!"

"A reflecting sound wave confirmed!" One of Mr. Vain's crew called from the water. What had I missed out on…? "A strong sea current at 12 o'clock! Also found a gigantic organism at 9 o'clock! Should be of the Sea King species! 10 o'clock direction found huge waves like a giant whirlpool!"

"That's it!" Mr. Ape cried out to us from his ship. "Turn the ship to the directions of 10 o'clock! That thing is the sign for the explosion! Follow the whirlpool closely! Don't back out!"

'_Why are we going INTO a whirlpool!_' I protested before I found myself flying up in the air along with everyone else as the ship was suddenly sent flying. The waves on either side of the boat were huge, the splash back soaking us all.

"WAAAH!"

"THE WAVES SUDDENLY BECAME HUGE WAVES!" Nami yelled as she clutched onto the railing. "It's the sign for the explosion!"

I grunted as I hit the lower deck and I found myself sprawled in a pile of limbs. This is not going to be a fun ride; I could just tell. Was there an emergency stop button?

"Miss Navigator!" I heard Robin call from close to me. "How is the Log Pose?"

"It keeps pointing at that cloud!" She answered.

"The wind is perfect! Millennium Cumulonimbus is heading towards the centre of the whirlpool!" One of the monkeys called out from their ship.

With a grumble I dragged myself back up yet again, hoping not to get thrown into the deck again. It was at that time I noticed that some of the others were up the front of the boat, watching what was happening. Due to the fact I didn't have hands to help me hold onto things, I was more than happy to stay on the lower deck where it was safer.

"Hey! You said whirlpool? Where is it?" Nami asked them.

"It seems like we guessed correctly this time brother!" Mr. Ape called out.

"Yeah! The size of the explosion is perfect too!" Mr. Vain called back, the sound of the roaring wind and seas muffling it a bit.

"Can we get there!" Luffy asked the most important question.

"Yah, yah!" He replied. "We can get there!"

"What!" The others up the front of the boat yelped.

"We will take you to the track of the whirlpool!" Mr. Ape yelled back at them.

"And then?" Nami asked. "What do we do after that!"

"Follow the current and head to the center!" He called out as we started to get dragged into a huge whirlpool. I glanced nervously over the side of the boat at the huge whirlpool, my eyes growing wide.

"You never said we had to get sucked in!" She screamed back at him, clutching either side of her head.

"Don't worry! I will protect Nami, Mamori and Robin!" Sanji vowed.

"This is my first time seeing such a huge whirlpool," Robin said calmly.

'_How in the seven hells are you so calm!_' I squeaked, not being able to take my eyes off the whirlpool, noting that a lot of the others had made their way up to the front deck. '_Why does this ship not have seat belts! Fuck you evolution! Opposable thumbs would have been great right about now_!'

"NO! No, no, no! Go back! I want to go back!" Usopp sobbed in panic.

"Forget it Usopp, it's too late… Somebody is already hyper," Zoro observed semi-calmly.

"HERE I COME SKY ISLAND!" Luffy's voice screamed out over the sea and the roaring of the whirlpool.

"YAOOOOOHYAAAOHAAAHOOOH!" The screams and cries of a giant Sea King assaulted my ears and my jaw dropped. A giant Sea King was flopping and struggling as it got sucked into the whirlpool in front of my eyes.

"GYAAAAAH!" Nami, Usopp and Chopper screamed.

"Alright then! From now on, do your best with your own strength!" A voice called out from the two ships that had gotten safety off to the side.

"Yah! Thanks for escorting us here!" Luffy waved back at them.

"WAAAIIT!" Usopp panicked. "AH! LET'S GO! THIS IS TOO TERRIFYING! LET'S GO BACK ASSHOLE! WE'LL DIE FOR SURE LIKE THIS!"

'_The ship doesn't have a fucking reverse mode!'_ I snapped in annoyance.

"AAAHHHHH!" Chopper began to scream as well.

"YOU NEVER MENTIONED THAT THE WHIRLPOOL WOULD BE THIS BIG! LIAR, LIAR!" Nami moaned. "WE'RE BEING SUCKED INTO THE WHIRLPOOL!"

"Let's go back! Luffy! It's not too late!" Usopp attempted to convince him yet again. "You understand right? This whirlpool alone is already deadly enough! That Sky Island is just a fantasy of a fantasy!"

"Fantasy of a fantasy sounds about right," Luffy agreed.

"Yes! Luffy! I think it's probably false too," Nami laughed nervously as she shrugged her shoulders.

"This Island, the fantasy of a fantasy, if we miss a chance like this for a grand adventure we will regret it for the rest of our lives for sure!" Luffy declared, flashing them a wide smile.

"Hey, while you were making their fruitless complaints," Zoro started to say.

"While? What is it?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"We are just about to be swallowed by the giant whirlpool," He finished as the ship was sent airborne again, flying in towards the centre of the whirlpool. I flattened myself to the decking on the bottom deck, digging my nails in as a squeezed my eyes closed.

'_Gods above please don't let us die_,' I prayed, hugging myself against the wood.

"Come on Nami!" Sanji cooed. "Lay on my chest!"

"GYAAAAHHH!" Usopp screamed loudly.

**SPLASH**

I blinked owlishly, holding my breath as we hit the water again. Nothing happened. No movement or splashing. Nothing.

"What happened!" Luffy called out.

"A whirlpool that big… What the heck happened?" Usopp exclaimed.

I cracked my eyes open, perking up one ear cautiously. When nothing more happened I slowly lifted myself up to my feet again, trotting over to the railing near Robin and looking over it. '_It's stopped and disappeared…What went wrong?_'

"That's not it!" Nami gasped in horror. "It's started! The whirlpool has only disappeared in the seabed! Can it be…"

"WAIT!" An commanding voice yelled over the sea and I turned my head around to see a pirate ship floating towards us.

"Hey Zoro, that's…" Luffy started to say.

"TSHAHAHAHA!" A large man from the other boat laugh. It was the bastard preacher that had been blocking the road. "I FINALLY CAUGHT YOU STRAW HAT KIDDO LUFFY!"

"He's…When we were in Mock Town…" Nami stumbled over her words.

"Who's that?" Sanji asked, scrunching up his face.

"WE ARE HERE TO TAKE YOUR HEAD THAT IS WORTH 100 MILLION BELI" Mr. Preacher yelled at us. "SURRENDER TO US NOW!"

"My head? What do you mean 100 million beli?" Luffy pondered.

"So you didn't know after all!" He exclaimed before pulling out two wanted posters and holding them up. "There's a bounty worth 100 million beli on your head! Also, the Pirate Hunter Zoro! You have a 60 million beli bounty!"

'_Well shove off!_' I growled lowly and possessively as I quickly slipped up the stairs to join the others on the front deck. '_You can't have their heads, they still need them as of now_!'

"It's true!" Usopp confirmed as he look through his binoculars at the posters. "They have new bounties! Zoro! You've become a wanted pirate!"

"Wait! Hey, wait! And me? There's a bounty for me too, right?" Sanji queried, sling his arm over Usopp's shoulder.

"No," He replied bluntly.

"Look again! Carefully!" Sanji argued with a wounded pride.

"Still no," Usopp told him.

"Really? Did the incident in Alabasta drastically increase their value?" Nami concluded in shock.

"Hear that! 100 million beli!" Luffy celebrated, dancing around with his arms in the air.

"60 million? I'm not satisfied," Zoro said, laughing slightly.

"YOU TWO!" Nami snapped at them, spinning around. "DON'T BE SO COCKY!"

'_She's pissed,_' I noted as I slipped past her, avoiding her rage at any cost. I then wandered over to stand by Usopp, my eyes narrowed at the ship that was threatening to take two of our idiots. So not happening today…Or any day for that matter. We needed them.

"YOU GUYS!" Mr. Vain yelled at is from his ship far away. "STAY FOCUSED! IT'S COMING! THE KNOCK-UP STREAM…"

"PREPARE TO DIE!" The preacher from the other ship said when suddenly the water under the Going-Merry started to rise.

Everyone on the ship scattered like ants within seconds, mostly running to the bottom deck.

"ALL MEMBERS! HOLD ONTO SOMETHING OR GO INSIDE!" Sanji yelled out.

'_AHH! Shit!_' I swore, my head darting around to try and find something that I could hold onto. Like hell I was about to go inside and leave these guys out here by themselves, but I was a dog. How the heck was I meant to hang on to anything with no hands or thumbs!

"Mamori!" Zoro hissed over Usopp's screaming when he was the predicament I was in. "Go inside!"

'_Not happening in a million years!_' I bit back, letting him know what I thought with a glare. '_AH! THAT'S IT!_'

I dove towards Zoro, jumping up the first few steps of the staircase he was near. I then latched my teeth around a railing on the stairs, my teeth sinking into the wood, '_Sorry Merry_.'

"GYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Several voices on the ship screamed as the water suddenly exploded under us, shooting the ship straight up in the air as the wind tugged at us. I found myself being pulled back as my teeth held onto the wood, my eyes squeezing closed as everything rushed around us. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"What's going on! The ship is sailing vertically on the surface of the stream!" Sanji exclaimed loudly over the wind.

"Waha!" Luffy cheered happily. "This is so fun! What is the reason behind this!"

"The wind?" Nami gasped.

"Alright! If we go like this we can get to Sky Island!" Luffy exclaimed. "Forward Going-Merry!"

"Wait a second!" Sanji protested. "It's not as easy as you think"

"What is it?" Usopp questioned. "Did you forget something?"

"The ship is beginning to leave the stream!" He replied. "If this goes on much longer, we will get bounced off!"

'_I don't want to know, I don't want to know, I dun wanna know!_' I cried mentally, not opening my eyes. '_This was a bad idea_!'

"E…E…Even if you say so! What so we do! It's hard enough just to hold onto the ship!" Usopp stammered, holding on for dear life.

"YAAH! WHAT'S THAT!" Chopper screamed, causing my eyes to snap over as I dangled off the railing.

"IT'S A SEA KING!" Zoro yelled.

'_I DON'T FUCKING WANT TO KNOW!_' I screamed mentally when I saw what it was, my eyes snapping back closed. '_Fuck this go with the flow shit! Next time I want to know what I am getting into beforehand!_'

"THAT GUY GOT SUCKED IN EARLIER!" Chopper pointed out.

"Look! We will end up like that sooner or later!" Sanji gritted out.

"Hey, hey, hey! No point talking like that! This ship is ascending from the power of the explosion, so now with our own strength we have to keep it there," Zoro told us, from his place standing on the cabin wall.

"So this is just a normal disaster after all!" Sanji agreed as parts of old ships bounced off the deck.

"Ah, we are done for!" Usopp sobbed pessimistically. "If we fall down at this height, everyone will be smashed to bits!"

"SET DOWN TO THE SAIL!" Nami ordered suddenly. "HURRY! This is a sea! It's no mere stream! It's a sea current that is flowing up vertically! Coming from below, there are water vapours caused by the explosion… It's an updraft! If our opponents are the wind and the sea, we will sail on it. In their faces! After all, who is this ship's navigator?"

"IT'S NAMI OF COURSE!" Sanji cooed as the some of the crew let go of their posts to try and do as Nami had said. "Bastards! Do what Nami just said!"

'_Oh stuff this, I am such an idiot_,' I swore at myself as I let go of the staircase railing. I dug my claws into the decking as I slid straight down the boat, smashing roughly into the wall off the cabin. My eyes snapped open as I looked around at the other who were getting the sail unfurled. How the hell did they move so easily when the boat was like this!

"Let the wind push the right to turn the ship to the left!" She ordered. "Make the body of the ship parallel to the stream!"

"AYE!" They called out as the sail was quickly unfurled.

"Wah!" Chopper cried as he looked over the side of the boat. "This is bad! The ship is starting to completely loose contact with the stream!"

'_Well I hope those wings are going to allows us to fly!_' I yelped, heaving myself back up to my feet as I struggled against the wind currents.

"It's falling down!" Luffy panicked. "It's going to fall! Nami, come up with a plan! Quick!"

"No need, it's already good to go!" She replied as the boat came off the surface of the water.

"EHH! IT'S FLYING!" Luffy yelled out happily as my stomach flip flopped. A boat was flying. A fucking boat. Flying.

"Really!" Usopp exclaimed.

"I did it!" Nami panted in relief.

'_Please tell me you weren't just hoping that would happen!_' I snapped, slowly inching my way to the side of the boat so I could see what it looked like.

"Nami! You're so cool!" Sanji cooed.

"If we stay on this wind stream, no matter where, we can ascend up there!" Nami informed us.

"Hey Nami! Are we going to get there soon!" Luffy demanded to know in his excitement.

"If it exists, it should be behind that piece of cloud!" She theorized, pointing to the large cloud above the ship.

'_It better bloody exist!_' I grumbled as I stuck my head out the side of the ship. My ears were pushed flat back against my skull thanks to the force of the wind and I finally sound out what'd be like to be a dog in a car. All the scents ran straight throw my nose, the taste of the fresh air flooding through my system. '_This… Is sorta fun. No wonder they like it_.'

"On top of the cloud?" Luffy repeated. "I wonder what is on top of there!"

A few seconds later we entered the clouds, the air around us seeming to disappear. Everything around us was white and then it suddenly the world went black.

* * *

><p>Dysbarism or Decompression Sickness (a.k.a.: the Bends or even caisson worker's disease) is a common illness connected to Scuba Diving. The condition occurs when a sudden decompression in the atmosphere causes nitrogen bubbles to form in the tissues of the body. Since the pressure in water is greater than the pressure at sea level, extended dives andor dives at greater depths and then ascending to sea level without doing so gradually while making decompression stops make the chances of DCS go up because there isn't enough time for the pressure of the gas in the body to dissolve. The symptoms of DCS vary widely and range from simple muscle soreness to seizures and even death.

**Beta read by praeses**


	39. He Sank

**So...200,000 words? Wow. I did not, in my wildest dreams, think the story would get this far. Thank you to everyone who has been following this story! I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am. And thank you very much to all my reviewers up to this point. You guys make my day! Thank you! :)**

* * *

><p>I woke up coughing and choking, flipping over onto my stomach as I tried to get my wits back about me. I heard everyone else cough as they laid all over the deck, still trying to gather their wits as well.<p>

"Damn… What happened?" Zoro coughed as he sat up. "Is everyone alright?"

"Hey!" Luffy called out in excitement as he sprang up. "Look you guys! Outside the ship! What is this place? It's sooo white!"

Everyone slowly managed to drag themselves up off the ground before all looking around at the sea of white clouds that the boat was floating on. I carefully jumped up onto the railing, my head tilting back so that my nose was raised in the air. I twitched my nose as al the scents of the area reached me. It smelt moist yet the air was thin. I couldn't really smell much vegetation or everything where I was. Was this all Sky Island was?

"Clouds?" Chopper gapped, hanging onto the railing near me.

"We're on top of the clouds…" Nami mumbled. "How are we sailing on clouds?"

"Of course we can sail on top of it!" Luffy sighed. "They're just clouds."

"No, that's not possible." Sanji, Zoro, and Chopper all deadpanned at the same time.

'_Well… He's sorta right you know. We are floating after all, unless our eyes are not working_,' I chuckled softly.

"This is bad!" Chopper yelled all of the sudden as he kneeled next to Usopp. "Usopp isn't breathing!"

'_WHAT_!' I screamed, throwing myself off the railing and trying to run towards them in mid-air. I ended up stumbling over my feet a bit before I managed to scramble over there, mentally freaking out. '_He's not breathing_!'

"DO CPR OR SOMETHING!" Luffy yelled at Chopper.

"Okay, I'll do CPR on Nami!" Sanji announced in the background.

'_Oh, for fuck's sake,_' I swore bluntly when I saw them all being idiots and not actually doing anything about it. '_I've watched YouTube videos about stuff like this, so I should be able to do this… I hope_.'

I jumped up slightly, lifting my front two feet off the ground before slamming them back down right in the centre of Usopp's chest. Usopp made a choking sound, coughing for a second as I jumped back from him in shock.

'_It actually worked_!' I gaped, honestly quite surprised.

"Ehh! You didn't think that'd work!" Chopper exclaimed as Usopp slowly sat up, looking around in confusion.

'_I had my doubts_,' I laughed mentally, much to Chopper's horror. '_Perhaps I'll just leave it for you to do next time, doctor._'

* * *

><p>"In other words, this is the sea of the sky," Nami explained to Chopper, Robin, and I as we sat on the railing. "But look, the log pose is still pointing up."<p>

"Maybe this is only the middle part of the Millennium Cumulonimbus," Robin theorized.

"We need to go higher… How?" Chopper asked.

"I have no idea," She admitted.

"For my first big course, Captain Usopp will swim!" Usopp called out as he posed on the railing. Chopper quickly scurried over there to join Luffy as they egged him on.

"Oh! Go, go!" Luffy and Chopper cheered.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sanji objected quickly. "Don't fool around, we still don't know anything about this sea!"

'_I agree with San-_' I started to mutter but Usopp had other ideas.

"A sea is a sea!" He laughed before jumping off the side of the boat and into the clouds.

'_Fool!_' I snapped as I jumped up and ran along the railing until I reached the spot he had jumped in. I leant over the railing, staring into the white while I waited nervously for him to come back up.

"He's still not back…" Chopper mumbled after about a minute of waiting.

"Just a thought," Robin decided to add. "Is there really a sea floor?"

"You mean!" The others yelped.

"That idiot fell off the cloud!" Zoro finished as Luffy jumped up in the air, throwing his arm into the clouds as it stretched.

'_That fucking dumb ass!_' I swore as I began to pace back and forth on the railing, the tip of my tail swishing irritably.

"Usopp!" Luffy yelled out.

"I told that idiot not to fool around!" Sanji gritted out.

"Extend your arm as far as you can!" Robin ordered him.

"But I can't see if I only rely on my touch!" Luffy pointed out.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it!" Robin told him as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Ojos Fleur.*"

We all waited silently for a few seconds, the air around us rather tense.

"There he is!" Robin exclaimed after a short while.

"Eh!" Luffy yelped. "Where!"

"Seis Fleur!*" Robin called out before opening her eyes again. "Okay, pull him up."

"Arrrgh," Luffy grunted as he began to pull Usopp up through the cloud.

"Luffy! You can do it!" Chopper cheered.

'_Come on Luffy_!' I urged.

"Oooh!" Luffy gasped as Usopp broke out the surface of the cloud, much to my relief.

"You did it! You pulled-" Nami started to say but cut herself off as more than one other thing broke the surface of the clouds. "SOMETHING FOLLOWED HIM!"

"Yaaaah!" Chopper screamed as everyone gaped at the huge monsters that had followed Usopp. One looked to be a giant eel crossed with a shark and the other was about 7 times bigger and resembled and octopus. "They want to eat Usopp!"

'_You can't have him!'_ I snarled at the monsters.

"Nothing to be scared about!" Zoro pointed out as he jumped off the side of the boat, slashing at one of the octopuses tentacles. The other eel lunged at the boat but Sanji roundhouse kicked it, stoping it dead in its tracks.

**POP**

The explosion of air rang in my ears as the tentacle exploded much like a popped balloon would when poked like ballon.

"HUH!"

While everyone else was busying dealing with the weird monsters and discussing how weird they were, I had jumped off the railing and trotted up to Usopp, sniffing him over to make sure he was okay. My nose twitched as I catch a weird and alien scent on him.

'_What the…?_' I mumbled, following my nose to the source. I paused when I got close to the source, not game enough to go any closers. '_Dear God! What the hell is in his PANTS!_'

"GYYYAAAAAA!" He screamed suddenly as whatever it was started to kick around in his pants.

I jumped back in shock, staring with wide eyes as I tried to figure out how to help. It's not like I was about to go into his pants to get whatever the hell it was… God, this was awkward.

"So noisy!" Sanji snapped at him. "What is it this time Usopp!"

"My pants…" He sobbed as he pulled a weird looking fish out of his pants. "This was in my pants!"

"Usopp!" Chopper yelped as he scurried over to us just in time for Usopp to throw the fish away and flop to the deck.

Unluckily I seemed to be in the way and I got smacked in the face with a flying fish as thanks for my worry. I stumbled back, landing on my hinds as the fish slid off my face and landed on the deck. I glared at it just as Robin walked up next to me and picked it up.

"Then… This would be a Sky Fish? It's the strange creature described in Noland's diary," Robin said as she observed it. "I think because there is no sea floor in the sky ocean, they must have evolved into various forms in order to survive."

"So some became flat and some became like balloons?" Zoro asked her, ignoring Luffy as he got ahold of the fish and ran off.

"Yes, all to make themselves lighter because the buoyant force here is much weaker than sea water," Robin confirmed.

"Their scaled look like feathers but the carnivorous mouth is weird," Nami mumbled.

"THIS IS YUMMY!" Luffy yelled in the background, stuffing him mouth with the fish we had been looking at second before.

"WE WEREN'T DONE WITH IT YET!" Nami snapped at him.

'_Damn… Poor bastard_,' I mumbled, feeling sorry for the fish. '_Luffy does know that the fish has been down Usopp's pants, right?_'

"Ah! It tastes really nice!" Nami exclaimed as she tried a bit of it as well. "I've never experienced this flavour!"

"That's it!" Luffy gasped. "Cook that big guy too!"

"Hey! Everyone!" Chopper called as he tried to get our attention while looking through so binoculars. "There is a ship and… A person? EH! WHAT!"

"Hey, what is it Chopper?" Luffy asked as we all made our way over to him.

"WAH!" He cried as he threw the binoculars on the ground. I quickly jumped up on the railing next to him, looking around in worry. What had him so upset? Was that…Smoke I smelt?

"Chopper, a ship? A ship is over there?" Someone asked in the background as I tried to sort out all the smells. I found it a lot easier to smell things here without all the other scents around messing with me. At the moment it was like trying to find a needle on a cement floor rather than a needle in a haystack.

"No… Um, there was a ship but the ship isn't there anymore!" Chopper panicked as he tried to explain.

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked.

"There's a bull running on a rectangular cloud! It's charging from other there! THIS IS BAD!" Chopper blabbed as he freaked out.

"I don't get it. Calm down," Zoro snapped.

"What's he trying to say?" Sanji mumbled.

'_That smell… The ship must have caught alight!_' I gasped. '_And the… Flying bull did it? What?_'

"A HUMAN!" Sanji exclaimed when something came into site, charging towards the boat at full speed. It looked like some tribal man with a huge ass mask using roller skates to fly over the clouds. "SOMEONE IS COMING! IT'S RUNNING ON THE CLOUD!"

'_Chopper! Get back!_' I order quickly, wanting to get him out of the way. I quickly jumped forward, grabbing Chopper by the scruff with my teeth as I ignored his squeal of protest. I then jumped off the railing, launching myself into the air with Chopper. For some reason it almost felt like I was jumping into wind, there was some invisible forcing slowing me down.

I landed by the other guys, dropping Chopper roughly on the deck before spinning back around to as the weird guy jumped up into the air, heading towards the boat at full speed.

"Hey, stop! What's your problem!" Sanji yelled at him.

"Eliminate…" Was the only thing he said which has shivers running down my spine. Thank God I got Chopper out of the way in time so this freak couldn't get him. I stepped up next to Zoro, getting ready to defend as flashed my teeth at the weirdo in warning.

"He wants to fight!" Sanji gritted out as he got in an attack position.

"He's got guts," Zoro agreed, pulling out his katana.

"Huh? What?" Luffy asked as he put his fist up.

It all happened in less than a few seconds. The weird tribal man jumped at Sanji first, kicking him under the chin and sending him flying back. Then he whizzed to the side, delivering a kick to Zoro's chin as well which had him hitting the deck.

With a howl of rage I threw myself at the stranger, jaws open as I attempted to latch onto something in order to injure him. Again, when I tried to move fast it was like trying to run against wind, something was pushing against me and it slowed me down again.

In a flash I was rewarded with a whole hell of a lot of pain spreading under my jaw and I found myself flying back, smacking roughly into the deck.

I heard Luffy get smacked down as well as I tried to get control of my limbs to drag myself back to my feet. That guy moved insanely fast and for some reason we were extremely slow with our reactions.

"Eh? Wait!" Nami yelled in the background. "What's wrong with you four!"

"GYA!" Chopper screamed in the background as finally got back up. I turned around, looking around for the weird tribal man but I couldn't see him on the boat which confused me for a second.

My eyes widened as I looked up in the air and saw him in the air, getting ready to aim a huge ass cannon at us. That must have been what caught the other ship on fire!

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A new voice yelled out as from nowhere came a man dressed in a suit of armor, riding an odd looking spotted bird.

The knight launched himself off the bird, holding a lance in front of him as he aimed at the weird guy on skates. The said weird guy quickly raised a shield in front of himself, just managing to block the blow.

The force of the blow sent Mr. Skates flying into the cloud below, the Knight flipping back and landing on the railing off our ship as his bird flew down and landed next to him.

"WHAT! WHO IS IT THIS TIME!" Nami cried out.

"Oh, I am the Knight of the Sky!" He called out, posing for us.

"PI!" His bird chanted next to him.

"What's going on! Who was that guy?" Nami gasped as Mr. Knight stepped down onto the boat before turning her head around to snap at us. The other three were still sitting on the decking, looking confused. I was the only one whom had dragged herself to her feet. "Also! You four are so useless! Four on one and you still lost!"

'_Don't push it_,' I silently warned her, my ego already greatly wounded from the loss.

"Thank you for saving us," Chopper said to Mr. Knight as he bowed.

"Don't mention it," He replied. "It couldn't be helped. This is a service."

"Tsk," Sanji hissed him his place sitting on the deck, blood running down his chin. "This is so frustrating. Mamori, my princess, are you okay? How dare that brute hit a woman."

'_You sound like a nut case_,' I silently pointed to him before letting out a soft bark to let him know I was fine. My pride had a pretty big dent, but that was about it.

"It's like my body won't move as I command!" Luffy complained as he laid on the deck. Zoro was just sitting there in silence, staring into nothingness. All of them must have wounded egos as well.

"That's because the oxygen is scarce here," Robin explained to them.

'_Son of a donkey!_' I swore when I realized how stupid I had been. How could I have not figured that out before?

"To be saying those words…" Mr. Knight murmured. "Are you citizens of the Blue Sea?"

"What's that?" Nami questioned him. "By the way, who are you?"

"I would be the Knight of the Sky," He replied. "All living under the clouds are citizens of the Blue Sea. In other words, did you come up from the Blue sea?"

"Um… Yes," Luffy replied, still not bothering to get up.

"It can't be helped then. This place is 7,000 meters above the Blue Sea, called the White Sea. Above this place is the White-White Sea, 10,000 meters," He informed us with a serious face. "Average citizens of the Blue Sea won't be able to stand it."

"Okay! I'm slowly getting used to it!" Luffy called, sitting up and he slapped his chest.

"Yep, it feels much better now," Zoro agreed.

'_Aren't you boys a bit slow?_' I snickered even if they couldn't hear me. '_I got over it while ago. It only bothers me if I try to move too fast._'

"Lies," Mr. Knight accused, waving his hand as he sweat-dropped. "You're just faking it. It's not possible."

"But, that guy from before, how come he can walk on the sea?" Chopper asked.

"This level… Wait a minute, you probably have a lot of questions right?" Mr. Knight figured out as he jumped up to sit on the railing near his bird…His spotted bird. Why don't I get spots? "First thing first, I need to talk business with you. I am a freelance mercenary. This is a very dangerous part of the sea. Those who do not know about aero-battles will be attacked by the guy like before and will become food for the sky-fishes. Each whistle will cost you 50 million in Extol, then I will save you!"

There was silence around the deck as we all stared at the Knight like he was a crazy person. None of what he had just said made much sense.

"What are you talking about mister?" Luffy finally broke the silence.

"Quit acting like a fool… The price is very cheap already!" Mr. Knight argued. "If I keep lowering, I won't be able to earn even one Extol! I need living expenses too!"

"That's why I'm asking you what Extol is and what is the whistle thing?" Luffy questioned yet again.

"No way…" He mumbled in shock, his eyes going wide. "You guys…Didn't come here through the top of the high top? Then you must have been to one or two islands, right!"

"I told you I don't know what you are talking about mister!" Luffy protested yet again.

"WAIT!" Nami objected. "There are other ways to get to this sky ocean! Also you said 'one or two islands', isn't there only one Sky Island?"

"WHAT!" Mr. Knight yelped. "So you guys actually came via that monstrous stream! I never thought there would still be people this brave…"

"So it wasn't the normal way…" Nami sobbed, covering her mouth.

"We're here anyway, right?" Luffy asked before Nami spun around and grabbed Luffy, pulling him off the ground as she shook him back and forth.

"We almost died! If we patiently collected more information, we could have used a safer method!" She screamed at him.

"Did you lose one or two of your crew?" Mr. Knight asked Luffy.

"Nope, we're all here," Luffy said.

'_And thank the Gods for that,_' I sighed. '_It was a damn scary ride, but we still made it all in one piece.'_

"Other routes are not like that," Mr. Knight explained. "If 100 people want to go to Sky Island through the other routes, it would be a gamble with no way to predict how many will leave and reach the destination. However, the Knock Up Stream is more like everyone either lives or everyone dies together. Either 0 or 100. Not many dare to take this gamble, especially people these years. Those who dare, I see them as great sailors who have both courage and real strength."

"Yeah, but it's all because of me," Usopp said suddenly, striking a pose. "When these guys were crying and giving up, I said, 'I will show you the way with my navigation skill!'."

"One whistle," Mr. Knight said as he threw a small whistle onto the deck in front of us. "Blow this once and I will come down from the sky to save you! Using the currency of the sky, each whistle will cost will 50 million Extol, but your first whistle will be free as my gift for you. Use that whistle any time."

With that said the Knight stood up, turning away from us as he got ready to depart as suddenly as he came.

"Wait!" Nami objected. "We don't even know your name!"

"I would be Gan Fall, the Knight of the Sky!" He called out as the bird next to him started transforming into another shape. "This is my partner, Pierre! I forgot to introduce him. Even though he's a bird, he has the power of the Horse Horse Fruit which means he can become a winged horse! In other words…"

"No way!" Nami gasped. "So beautiful! It's a Pegasus!"

"That's right! A Pegasus!" He confirmed as he jumped onto the back of his now odd looking horse crossed with a bird. Nami looked to be regretting saying that it was beautiful now that it had finished transforming. "I wish you luck heroes!"

"It turned onto a strange animal…" Sanji pointed out the obvious as we watched him fly away on his steed.

"In the end, he didn't really tell us anything useful," Robin pointed out.

"Yeah…" Usopp agreed with a blank look. "Really nothing at all…So now we are back to the starting point."

"Then how do we get higher?" Nami asked.

"Okay, let's call mister and ask him!" Luffy called out picking up the whistle.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!" Nami screamed as Usopp and her jump on Luffy, stopping him from blowing the whistle. "Wait a minute Luffy! This is only for emergencies!"

"If that weird mask guy comes again, what will we do without the whistle!" Usopp agreed, pulling Luffy's face.

'_I think he gets the point,_' I sweat dropped as I watched them abuse Luffy.

"Anyway, let's just get the ship moving," Zoro interrupted them.

"Everyone! Look over there!" Chopper called out, hanging off the railing.

"That looks like a waterfall," Robin noted as she joined Chopper.

"That cloud is weird looking, right?" Chopper agreed.

"Okay! It's decided!" Luffy called out. "Let's go check it out!"

* * *

><p>"There is a huge cloud in the way… What do we do?"<p>

I stared at the huge mound of cloud around the base of what looked like a waterfall of clouds. The ship couldn't get past it, so we were all left staring at it as we tried to figure out what to do now.

"It's floating on sky ocean, so it's probably another kind of sky ocean," Sanji pointed out.

"Then what kind of cloud?" Usopp asked in confusion, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If it's a normal cloud, we could just sail straight through it," Nami said.

"We'll know if we touch it right!" Luffy called out, swinging his fist around as he got ready to let it fly. He punched out with his fist, extending his rubbery arm as it flew towards the large clump of cloud. My eyebrows rose a bit when Luffy's fist just bounced off of the cloud looking matter. "WAH! IT BOUNCED OFF!"

"WOW!" Chopper called out, sparkles gathering around his face as he gaped at the clouds.

"LOOK!" Luffy could out as he bounced around on the clouds like a trampoline. When the hell did he get the time to get out there so fast? Damn, he can move when he wants to. "I can sit! No sinking! It's soft too! Like cotton! What's this thing! It's so funny!"

"AMAZING!" Chopper cried out in awe, more sparkles growing around his face.

'_That looks sorta fun…_' I admitted, debating whether or not to go out there with Luffy or not.

"What phenomenon is this?" Nami blinked.

"Unbelievable," Robin stated.

"Oh! I WILL GO TOO!" Usopp yelled, jumping off the side of the ship to join Luffy.

'_Shall we Chopper?_' I asked the little reindeer who look like a little kid in a candy shop.

"YEAH!" He called out as we both jumped over the railing.

'_Whoa! What the hell is this stuff_!' I called out when my feet bounced straight back off of it, sending me flying into the air. I flipped over in the air before landing and bouncing straight up again. '_This is freaking AWESOME!_'

"Hey! Try and find a path for the ship to pass!" Nami called up to us as I flipped happily in the air again before landing near Luffy and Chopper.

"OKAY!" Luffy called back happily.

"Hey! Luffy! There is something there!" Usopp called out from in front of us.

"What did you say!" Luffy yelled, ignoring Nami and running after Usopp.

'_Oi!_' I protested, bouncing along after him.

* * *

><p>"A door?" Nami asked as we reported out findings to her.<p>

"Yeah! Under that waterfall looking cloud, there is a huge door!" Usopp confirmed as we said through some gaps in the solid clouds so that we could get to the door. I was perched on the railing next to Chopper as we tried to relay the exact directions.

"If we go through there, we can see it," Usopp said. "Turn left next… No, that's right!"

"So this is not left!" Nami snapped back.

"Let's just call that armored mister!" Luffy nagged.

"STOP!" Nami yelled as she stopped Luffy from blowing the whistle.

I smirked as I watched them be idiots again; they were acting very carefree considering where we were. Mind you, this is how they always act.

"Good," Nami grinned as he finally made our way through the pass after a few minutes or arguing. "We seem to have passed through. Ah! It's really there! Plus, look! That waterfall looking cloud is really a waterfall! It has clouds of different properties falling down!"

"Heaven's Gate," Someone read the title of the gate out loud.

"Bad omen…It's like we're going to die…" Usopp mumbled, going pale again.

'_It's a gate Usopp, it probably just has that name for dramatic effects_,' I deadpanned at his attitude. Giant whirlpools I was not fond of, but I could deal with weird names of things.

"Yeah, it's totally unexpected. Maybe we're actually dead already?" Zoro taunted Usopp.

'_Oi! Zoro, you idiot! Don't tease him; he's about ready to piss his pants!'_ I hissed, glaring at the said swordsman.

"Really?" Sanji asked. "If that's so, then this world can be explained…"

"WE'RE ALREADY DEAD!" Chopper screamed out in panic.

'_Oh for the gods sake!_' I complained. '_Chopper, don't listen to them. I'm sure we would have notice if we had died._'

"Heaven is so finally!" Luffy laughed. "We can finally get there through here!"

"Look! Someone is coming out!" Usopp exclaimed as he pointed to a small door on the side of the gates platform that had opened.

"Are you here for sightseeing or here to fight?" An old granny asked as she put a camera up to eyes and took a few pictures of us. The oddest thing about the old granny was that she actually had wings on her back. "Actually, it doesn't matter why you are here. If you want to go up, each person must pay 1 billion extol entrance fee. That's the law."

'_Wings…_' I gaped. '_Oh dear, please DON'T tell me we really are in heaven after all?_'

"ANGEL!" Luffy gasped. "That's how angels really look! She looks like dried sour fruit candy!"

"1 billion extol, how much is that when converted?" Usopp asked.

"Um…" Nami stuttered nervously. "What if we… Don't have money?"

"You can still go up," She answered calmly.

"REALLY!" Usopp exclaimed in shock.

"Also, if you don't want to go up, it's okay too," The old granny continued. "I'm not a guard, nor am I a soldier. I just want to know your intention."

"Then we will go. We want to go to Sky Island! Even though we don't have money, we will go granny!" Luffy called out to her.

"Really? Eight people right?" Granny replied.

"Um, how do we get up there?" Luffy questioned her.

"EH!" Several of the crew members screamed as two large claws popped out of the cloud either side of the boat, reaching up to latch onto the wings of the ship. "WHAT! SOMETHING APPEARED!"

"That's the white sea's special speed shrimp," Granny said in a weird voice.

"WAAH! IT STARTED MOVING!" Nami screamed as the ship lurched forward before speeding through the gate. The force of the jerk knocked me off the railing and I was smashed into the deck again for about the fifth time in one week. I was becoming good friends with the deck seeing as I seemed to crashing into it so much.

"IT'S EXTENDING ENDLESSLY UPWARD!" Luffy yelled over the wind as he clutched the figure head of the ship.

I hesitated in looking up, not really sure I really wanted to know what Luffy was talking about. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I glanced up, seeing a long spiral road of cloud that lead straight up into the sky. It appeared as if that was where we were going.

"WAAAAAH!"

"YAHOOO!"

"HOW IS THIS HAPPENING!" Nami screamed over the wind as we sped up the spiral. "THE CLOUD IS SHAPED LIKE A LONG STRIPE, ALMOST LIKE A RIVER! IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING NOT NATURALLY FORMED! THIS THING WAS PROBABLY ARTIFICIALLY MADE!"

"IT'S THE EXIT!" Luffy called out. "THERE'S SOMETHING WRITTEN ON IT!"

"Godland? Skypiea? THIS IS NOT AN EXIT! IT'S AN ENTRANCE!"

Happy, shocked and exited looks crossed everyone's face as we whizzed straight through the entrance, the shrimp letting us go as the ship went flying up into the air. Before us laid a huge island floating on a tone of clouds, houses and vegetation dotting the land.

"IT'S SKY ISLAND! YEAH!"

* * *

><p>A soon as we got the ship to the beach, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all jumped over the side and ran onto the shore of clouds.<p>

"YIIIHA!" Usopp called out. "The surface of this island is soft cloud!"

"YAY" Luffy cheered. "SKY ISLAND!"

"Hey!" Zoro called out from the ship. "What about the anchor? There is probably no bottom in this sea, right?"

"That kind of thing doesn't matter!" Luffy answered, bouncing around of the shore. "Hurry up! Look, this is so soft!"

"Doesn't matter?" Zoro muttered. "You…"

'_Well, Luffy certainly has a one track mind_,' I sighed as I jumped up onto the railing next to Zoro, eyeing the shore as I debated if I should get off or not.

"Anyways," Zoro continued as he picked up the anchor and chucked it overboard. "This scenery is really amazing. It's like in a dream."

"Yup," Sanji agreed as he rolled up his pants legs. "Seeing their happy faces… Haha, can't really help it."

'_Sanji has a point there_,' I admitted, smiling as I looked back over to the other three.

"YIIYEEHO!" Sanji called out as he flipped off the railing and into the sea of clouds bellow.

"You're the same as them!" Zoro sweat-dropped.

"CHOH! CHOH! CHOH!" An angry bird cried out from the lower deck.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Sorry! Sorry!" Nami cried out as she ran up the stairs, trying to get rid of the bird. When had she gotten changed into a swimsuit?

"CHOH!" The bird called one last time and I got the feeling that it was swearing. It then flew off towards the land as fast as it could.

"Forgot to let him go earlier…" Nami panted.

"There seems to be people living here, it can probably survive," Zoro shrugged.

'_Since when did you care about the bird?_' I blinked, tilting me head to the side. '_You know… I am getting REALLY sick of not being able to talk to you so you can hear me_.'

"The anchor?" Nami asked him.

"I put it down," He replied. "That soft cloud on the back seems to be the structural basis of this island."

"Hey, isn't Skypiea," Robin started to say as she made her way up to us.

"Yep, it's the same as the name on the map that Luffy found!" Nami answered her before she could finish talking. "That 200 year old galleon really went here before. I never would have thought that a world in the sky like this could exist."

Nami then jumped over the side of the boat, slipping into the clouds. I carefully watched her until she made it to shore before turning my attention back to Zoro who had sat down next to me. Robin stood in front of us now, smiling.

"What about you and the dog?" Robin asked Zoro.

"Ah, I'll go too," He replied casually before turning to face me.

I looked between Zoro and Robin as they watched me. It's not like I could talk, and it's not like a I had plan as to what I wanted to do now that we were here. I was nervous about getting off at such a strange place, but the others looked to be having so much fun. I ended up just shrugging my shoulders, sending them both a doggish smirk.

"I never thought that sailing and landing can be adventurous too," Robin said, a proper smile slipping onto her face. I blinked as I stared at her, shocked by her sudden smile that looked real for once. It wasn't a forced one.

Robin then walked to the side of the boat, jumping smoothly off and into the clouds below. I shared a confused look with Zoro who was confused with Robin's sudden behaviour as I was.

"Come on, let's go," Zoro said after a few minutes as he got ready to jump down into the clouds. I waited till he has actually landed in the clouds before I decided to follow him.

The feel of the clouds stunned me for a few seconds when it reminded me of water. I expected it to feel more like fog or something, but it was more of a liquid then a gas.

'_Odd,_' I noted as I stuck my tongue out and licked the watery cloud. I then tilted my head to the side at the taste. It tasted like water almost, but it was almost more pure. '_Definitely odd._'

"Is this really cloud?" Zoro grumbled as he began to trudge towards the shore.

Just as we got to shore a heard the sound of a musical instrument being played as the notes floated over the wind. My ears twitched back and force as my eyes flicked around for the source of it.

'_Hello, hello!_' A small voice called out to me while I was distracted and I looked down only to come face to face with what looked like a small fox.

"What's this? A fox?" Zoro questioned as he both stared at it.

'_Oh, hello there_,' I replied to it as its nosed twitched at me.

"Hey, there's someone there!" Sanji called out, pointing to a figure on a cloudy hill in the distance.

"Is it another radar!" Usopp panicked. "Whistle! Where's the whistle!"

"Wait!" Sanji objected. "That's not it! It's an angel!"

"ANGEL!"

'_Is that your… Friend?_' I asked the small animal.

'_Yep, yep!_' It replied happily much like a little child.

"Heso," The said angel greeted us when she finally noticed us and put away her harp. She then started to walk towards us. "Are you guys from the Blue Sea? Sue, come here!"

The little fox quickly trotted back over to the angel as I lifted my head back up again.

"We flew up here from the bottom," Luffy answered. "Do you live here?"

"Yes, I live here," She replied as she finally reached our group. "This is the angel beach of Skypiea. Hihihi, that's gaunasu, you want to drink it?"

I tilted my head to the side in confusion until Luffy handed her to large pumpkin looking fruit that he had been holding onto. I figured that must have been what she was talking about.

"The exterior is like steel," She explained as she pulled a knife out and began to cut a small circle in the bottom of the fruit. "Biting won't do anything. You must go from the bottom. Alright, enjoy!"

'_Where did she get a knife from…_' I wondered in confusion. She didn't look like the type to carry a knife on her.

She put a straw through the hole before handing it back over to Luffy. Luffy stared at it for a few second before taking a sip, it's not like Luffy could ever pass up free food or drink.

"YUUUUMMMM!" Luffy yelled out. "IT TASTE SO GREAT!"

"WHAT!" Usopp yelled back, sparkles gathering around his face. "IS IT THAT GOOD?"

"If there is any problem, I am willing to help you," The angel offered kindly.

"Then please open this one too!" Chopper requested, holding up another fruit.

"I'm Conis," She introduced herself as she picked up her pet fox.

"Yes, I have a problem. Your gaze burns a hole in my hear-" Sanji started to say but Nami quickly grabbed his ears to stop him.

"Go away," Nami hissed before shooing him away. A few of the others had gotten bored by now and had wandered off a short distance as she continued her conversation. "There are so many things we want to know. To start with, everything here is unbelievable."

"Yes, don't hold back. Ask anything!" Conis replied happily.

"Hey!" Zoro called out. "There is something coming from the sea."

"Ah, it's my dad," Conis informed us calmly as the person coming closer to us waved.

"Conis! My daughter, heso!" He called out.

"Oh, heso father!" She replied.

"Er… What are you saying?" Luffy questioned, looking at Conis like she was crazy.

"What is he riding on!" Usopp questioned as he came closer.

"Look carefully! It's really cool!" Luffy added.

"Ah… You mean the waver?" Conis questioned.

"Excuse me. I am going to stop now!" Conis' father called out as he got closer to the shore. But for some reason she didn't actually stop the weird boat cross scooter that he was riding, instead he went shooting out of the water and flew across the ground right in front of Zoro and I.

I shrunk back a bit to make sure I didn't get hurt and I flinched when I heard a crashing sound as the old man impacted on a tree.

"Ah!" Luffy yelped.

"Ah…" Zoro sweat-dropped.

'_Umm…_' I mumbled, eyeing the man as he lifted his head up.

"Is anybody hurt?" He questioned us as she pushed himself back up to his feet.

"ASK YOURSELF THAT!" Zoro snapped back at him.

"Luffy, didn't you recover something like that from under the sea?" Nami asked Luffy suddenly.

"Yeah, I did," Luffy confirmed as he continued to sip away at his drink.

"So that's a waver! In Noland's diary, the ship that sails without wind!" Nami concluded.

"Are they your friends Conis, my daughter?" The old man asked as he righted him waver.

"Yes," She replied. "I just met them, father. "They're from the Blue Sea."

"Really?" He questioned. "They must be really anxious about things here then? This is White Sea."

"Eh! No, it's not like that!" Usopp tried to explain, waving his hands in front of him.

"Pardon me," The old man said. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Pajaya."

"Please," Nami waving him off. "We are the ones who need to be excused."

"Good timing," The old man said as he pulled a lobster out of a basket on his back. "I had only just finished fishing. I caught the most delicious food in the White Sea. They are sky lobsters. Please come to my home. I'll treat you with the sky's special cuisine."

"Really!" Luffy called out in excitement at the mention of food. "Let's go! Let's go!"

"You're going to make Sky Island cooking? Please let me help!" Sanji replied.

"Before we go," Nami interrupted as she knelt down by the waver. "May I ask you a question? How does this work? There's no sails or paddles. How come it can still sail on the sea?"

"Don't you know what a dial is?" Conis asked.

"Dial?"

* * *

><p>"Accelerator? This?" Luffy questioned as he stood in the waver, trying to get it too move. "Just step on this, right"<p>

'_Please let this end well_,' I muttered, watching Luffy nervously. It probably wasn't the wisest choice to entrust him with the waver.

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as the waver shot forward at an insane speed. "IT'S MOVING!"

"WOW! HE DID IT!" Chopper cheered.

"GAH!" Luffy yelped as the waver started to swerved back and forth. "Why is it shaking so much! I can't stop!"

'_Hold the steering straight and lean against the way the waver is going!_' I panicked as the waver started to spin out of control. I had ridden a motorbike before, it didn't look that different.

"EEEEK!" He cried out as the waver suddenly went flying into the air, flipping over as it sent Luffy flying.

"The ship flipped," Usopp pointed out.

"The most amazing kind of flipping too," Zoro agreed.

"Oh no! Did he get hurt!" Conis gasped.

"This can't be…Pardon me. It's my fault for letting him borrow me waver," The old man apologized.

"Hm, what will happen to people cursed by the Devil Fruit in this sea of cloud…" Sanji mumbled as he watched.

'_Uh… Should I go get him?_' I asked, looking back and forth between the sea of clouds and my friends.

"Oh? This place is sort of different from normal seas. He may actually float," Zoro agreed.

I watched in a panic as Luffy disappeared beneath the surface and didn't pop back up again.

"He sank," Sanji noted.

* * *

><p>Ojos Fleur – Eyes flower.<p>

Seis Fluer – Six flowers.

**Beta read by praeses**


	40. Sacrifice Altar

**PLEASE READ!**

**So, I have some bad news I'm afraid. I know my updates have been messed up lately, but don't worry - I am not giving up on this story. I'm actually just being swamped by school work. I have five weeks of school left until my school year ends. This means lots of exams, tests, revision, assignments and assessments. Unfortunately, due to all that, I haven't been able to write much. So, I am not going to have any scheduled updates for the next five weeks or so until the school year is finished. If I can find time to finish a chapter, it will be posted. Although, I cannot guarantee anything just yet. I'll just have to see how it goes. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. I'll hopefully be back to updating weekly soon enough.**

* * *

><p>After Luffy had flipped off the waver and went flying into the clouds, I planned to go after him. But, Chopper decided he wanted to help and threw himself in the water too. I went after Chopper instead and dragged him back to shore while Sanji and Zoro went to get Luffy.<p>

I dragged Chopper back up onto land and left him with Usopp who was chewing him out for jumping in as well. My attention was drawn by Nami who was knee deep in the clouds, looking at the waver that had floated to shore.

Even though I was not human, I still wanted to have at least one go on the waver. Who wouldn't? It's like a motorbike and I knew how to ride those. So how hard could it be sitting in one?

'_Hmm… I wonder_,' I pondered as I trotted back into the watery clouds.

I reached Nami's side just as she was about to climb into the waver, so I barked to get her attention.

"Huh? Oh, Mamori. What's up?" she asked.

I jerked my head at the waver before looking back at her, wagging my tail. I tried to use the puppy eyes as I stared at her, my head tilting to the side.

"You want to ride it too…?" she guessed, thinking over it for a second. "It's so weird now that we know you are human… I guess there is enough room for you to sit in the back. Fine, jump in."

I didn't give her a chance to change her mind; in one smooth jump I launched myself out of the liquid clouds and onto the Waver. I shuffled towards the back of it, sitting down and wiggling my bum into position. Nami quickly scrambled in after me, getting her into position as she grasped the handle bars.

"Hold on," she instructed as she put a bit of pressure on the accelerator.

The waver seemed to move forward a bit at a really slow pace, a soft humming sound coming from the bottom of it. After a few seconds Nami slowly started to increase the speed until the wind was whooshing through my fur.

"It's so amazing!" she called out happily as we whizzed around the area. I let out a loud bark to agree with her, an impish grin lighting up my muzzle as I leant the opposite way to the waver turned so the boat didn't tip over.

"THEY DID IT!" Usopp yelled from the shore.

"What!" the old man yelped from the shore. "Unbelievable!"

"Nami, Mamori, you're the best!" Sanji cheered from the shore.

"Why!" Luffy gaped. "How can they control something that difficult!"

"Controlling this really requires a certain level of skills," Nami explained to them. "Careful observation is needed, so Luffy, it's out of your limit."

"Hey, Nami and Mamori! We're going to the mister's house! Come back now!" Luffy ordered like a child. "Idioooots. Hurry up and come back!"

"Why you," Sanji hissed as he kicked Luffy in the back of the head.

"You guys go ahead!" Nami called back. "Mister, can we play a little longer?"

"Yes, please be careful!" he answered.

"It's like I'm in a dream!" Nami exclaimed. "There's a ship that actually exists that can sail freely without wind! Would this work on normal seas? The one that Luffy brought back was broken for sure. I really wish I can bring a waver back!"

'_Well, I wonder what she'd say if she saw the technology we have back where I come from,_' I laughed silently to myself, tilting my head up to the sky as the wind rushed past me. '_This is so awesome! I miss things that move this fast_!'

* * *

><p>"So huge…" Nami gaped as we both stared up at the island before us. "Where is this?"<p>

'_My spidey senses are abusing me again… I think we should leave,_' I mumbled quickly, a shiver running down my spine. This island didn't feel right. It was the only place that had solid ground and lots of vegetation… It just didn't sit right.

"There is real land here," Nami pointed out, "these trees are all gigantic. I wonder how old they are, I can't even see the top."

I heard something behind us and Nami and I both tensed and froze for a second. What could possibly be on the clouds behind us?

I heard the sound of a gun being pulled out and I snapped my head around at the same time as Nami. Shock and horror crossed both our faces as we saw the odd tribal man behind us, his cannon aimed at us.

As if that wasn't bad enough I heard the sound of someone or something running through the forest behind us. It was soon followed by the loud bark of another dog and the yell of a few voices.

I forgot about the guy in front of us and instead turn my attention back to the land as a few oddly dressed men came into sight between the trees. The looked to be chasing another man which confused me even more. What the hell was happening and what was wrong with this place!

**BANG**

The tribal man shot the cannon straight into the trees where the other odd men were, the area exploding in a dust cloud. The loud boom of the blast caused my hearing to echo in my ears for a second as I tried to get my ears working again.

'_We should go!_' I gasped in dread, using my teeth to tug at Nami's pants. '_Like, now! I can't fight while we are on the clouds!_'

"What? What was that!" Nami panicked, freezing in place.

"Help! Help me!" the man that was being chased begged as he dragged himself to the edge of the island, blood running down his face. "Let me get on your boat! I… Beg of you! I'll do anything you want to repay you…"

"But there is only one seat and Mamori is in the back! Would he fit?" Nami continued to panic.

'_It doesn't matter!_' I objected. '_Let's just grab him and get out of here before something else comes!'_

"Waah!" the man cried out suddenly as a beam of light came down from the sky and started to envelope him. Suddenly the blast seemed to triple in size and turn into a blinding light causing me to turn my head away, my eyes snapping closed.

"Damn it! Is it God Enel!" the tribal man cried out in the background. "He actually did that to Vearth!"

With that said the tribal man took off on across the clouds and away from us as the light disappeared, a fire left in its place.

'_Wait!_' I yelped to myself, sucking in a sharp breath. '_God! Wait, wait, wait! As in a real God? I've read a bit of mythology and I've never heard of a god called Enel… Is he really a God and is he good or bad? Damn, this is not good.'_

"Hah..." Nami panted as we both turned to look where he had taken off.

"Get a water dial!" a voice called from the shore and Nami quickly made the decision to hide us. She drove the waver right up the side of the island and she pressed her back flat against the rocks in an attempt not to be seen. I flattened myself against the bottom of the waver, holding my breath as the fire was put out.

"I think that person was talking to someone," one of the voices pointed out.

"Woof, woof!" a dog barked.

"Hey, tell that dog to shut up!" another voice hissed. "It was a raider who got away just now."

"That guy was begging for his life, right?" yet another voice asked, bringing the tally up to four people and one dog.

"But what was Enel thinking? Why did he do it himself?" the first voice asked.

"Time was up probably," was the reply he got.

"Time was up? Again?"

"Next up, illegal trespassers have entered this country," one of the voice said and I got the feeling they were talking about us. "We got Yamashiun's message. Seven citizens of the Blue Sea came up on a ship."

I heard Nami's sharp intake of breathe and I figured she has caught on too. This was so not good… Wait, 7? They weren't including me in the count!

"Only seven?" one snorted. "Doesn't sound exciting."

"Seven heads? It's not divisible by 4!" a voice protested.

It didn't take long for them to leave one by one as they headed off to look for us. When I heard them get far enough away I peeled myself off the floor of the waver, glancing nervously at Nami. Without making a sound Nami got back into position and got the waver moving again. We floored it as we got away from the island, hurrying to let the others know what had happened.

"This is bad!" Nami exclaimed. "We must warn everyone!"

* * *

><p>"Oh no!" Nami gasped as we almost reached the shore where we had left the others. "Somebody's there! Are they with those from earlier?"<p>

'_More of them?_' I growled lowly as I waited for us to get close enough to the shore so that I could see whatever it was. '_Damn dog sight…_'

"Please don't do anything stupid guys!" she begged to herself as she tried to speed up the waver even more. My claws dug themselves into the wood as I fidgeted nervously in the back. We really cannot go anywhere without something like this happening…

"PLEASE WAIT!" Nami screamed when we got close enough and we saw everyone else standing on the boat and Luffy was on the shore with a bunch of uniform wearing fools standing off with him.

"AHHH!" Sanji yelled out happily from the front deck of the boat, waving at us. "NAMI, MAMORI! YOU'RE BOTH SAFE!"

'_I was more worried about you idiots…_' I deadpanned although I really was happy to see that they all looked safe.

"LUFFY! DON'T OPPOSE THOSE MEN!" Nami ordered.

"BUT THESE GUYS…" Luffy started to argue back.

"Don't oppose them? Hey Nami! Can we afford to pay a fine of 7 million beri!" Usopp argued.

"… Oh…" she mumbled, a dark looking crossing her face. "So we just need to a pay a fine of… 7 million beri…"

'_Oi… Nami what's with the creepy face...?_' I whispered nervously as I glanced at my friend with wide eyes; they grew even wider when Nami didn't bother to slow down at all as we reached the shore like. '_Hey… Aren't you meant to stopping like about now! NAM-AHHH!'_

Nami didn't bother to stop at all; she just ran the waver straight up so it went flying into the air as I hit the bottom of the waver, clinging on with my claws.

"THAT'S TOO EXPENSIVE!" Nami screamed as the front of the waver smashed into the captain of the uniform wearing idiots. His head snapped around and sent him flying back as the waver flew further along the beach before hitting the sand and skidding along.

"HEY!" I heard Usopp and Zoro call out in the background.

"CAPTAIN!" the uniformed troops called out.

"Ah! It's over! Because of their illogically high fine, I lost it!" Nami gasped as the waver finally came to a stop. Nami gracefully jumped out, keeping a grip on the handle bars so it wouldn't tip over to the side.

'_Nami, you psychopath!_' I hissed as I dragged myself to the side of the waver and flopped out of it, landing roughly on the ground. I laid on the ground, gripping it roughly with my claws as I tried to regain my breath, '_Land sweet land! I am NOT doing that again! Ever! I thought you were the sane one, but it turns out you are just as crazy as the rest!_'

"Oh, Mister," Nami said, ignoring me as she dragged the waver back over to the old man. "Thanks for letting me use the waver. It was very fun!"

"No, no," he waved off her thanks. "Don't mention it. You guys are in big trouble…"

"Let's run now! Luffy! Mamori!" Nami ordered as she spun around and grabbed onto Luffy's wrist, dragging him along the beach after her. I was left to quickly scramble to my feet and chase after them so that I didn't get left behind.

"What!" Luffy protested as he was dragged. "Why! Didn't you already attack them?"

"If we mess with God it'll be a real pain!" Nami snapped. "That hit back there was just an accident!"

'_Accident my ass you spaz!_' I protested as I caught up to them.

"HOLD IT!" the weird captain yelled at us as he pushed himself back up to his feet. Luffy and I quickly stopped even though Nami kept running into the liquid clouds, stretching out Luffy's arm. "There is no escape! Not only were you impolite to us, but their action was hindering our duty! It's a class 5 crime! With the power invested in me by God Enel, I sentence you to cloud drifting!"

"Cloud drifting!" Conis gasped in horror. "That can't be!"

"What's that? Drifting clouds sounds comfortable!" Luffy asked Conis cheerily as Nami let go of his arm and made her way back over to us.

"It's not good at all!" Conis protested. "It means putting you on a little piece of island cloud so you will drift in the sky until you die! It's a death penalty!"

"I see," Robin said from the boat, "no wonder ships would fall from empty sky. The galleon that fell from the sky was probably sentenced to the same thing 200 years ago."

"GET THEM!" Mr. Captain Beret ordered and all his lower soldiers' pulled out bows and arrows, drawing them back.

Luffy and I both tensed and I itched to get my knife out of it holder but I held myself back to wait and see how these guys would attack.

"RUN! YOU GUYS CAN'T BEAT THEM!" Conis screamed at us.

"Don't say that Miss," Captain beret said eerily, "you sound like you're helping them."

'_DON'T YOU DARE THREATEN HER YOU PIG!_' I snarled, flashing my teeth in warning.

"FIRE!" he ordered.

"ARROW OF CLOUD!" three of the soldiers called out as they released their arrows which spiraled towards us, a stream of white substance emitting from them in the wake.

"NAMI! OUT OF MY WAY! GET ON BOARD!" Luffy ordered as he pushed Nami roughly in the direction of the boat.

"Okay!" Nami agreed as she quickly ran towards the boat and away from Luffy and I.

The arrows shot past Luffy and I as we both jumped up into the air to avoid the trail of cloud that followed them.

"Cloud?" Luffy asked in confusion as a few of the soldiers kick their roller skates into gear and jump up onto the cloud trail.

'_Bring it on!_' I said as I barked out loud, flipping around so that I touched down on one of the clouds. The surface was solid yet bouncy so it was easy for me to jump forward and run towards one of the advancing men. I figured that Luffy could easily deal with the other two.

When I saw him pull out two double sided blades I quickly flashed out my own knife, meeting his charge head on without hesitation. As he swung the right blade at me I used the bounciness of the cloud to launch myself up into the air so that my body was at his head height.

I saw his eye widen as I curled into a ball and used the motion to fly straight into his head which caused his head to snap roughly back. The blow knocked him out and sent him flying off the side of the cloud stream and back onto the ground.

I uncurled myself as I touched back down on the ground, throwing my head up in an aloof manner as my eyes scanned for anyone else who was going to challenge me.

"GOMU GOMU NO…" I heard Luffy start to saw as I looked up to see him in the air. He quickly turned into a ball of flying legs and fists.

"Could this be a Devil Fruit!" Captain beret gasped.

"HANABI*!" Luffy yelled as his fists and feet went flying everywhere and took out a lot of the troops.

I tensed when I noticed one of the few troops left standing pulling back their bows with another arrow notched. Before I could make my way over there Sanji and Zoro beat me to it and took care of the remaining few left.

'_When did they get here?_' I blinked before frowning. '_I could have taken them out, there was no need for them to get off the boat... And I was calling Nami a psychopath. I'm such a hypocrite._'

"Now that I think of it Nami," Zoro said as he sheathed his sword, "how much money do we have on board?"

"50,000 beri left," Nami answered from the boat.

"50,000? That's it?" Zoro replied.

"Yah," Nami confirmed as I wandered my way over to the others. "We're almost out!"

"Why are we so poor!" Luffy complained, pointing a finger at the boat. "I'm the captain, so I'll say something. You guys should think about how you spend out money!"

"YOU SPENT THE MOST ON YOUR FOOD!" Sanji snapped back at him.

"They defeated the…" the old man started to say.

"White Berets!" Conis finished for him. "Citizens of the Blue Sea should have problems fighting them…"

'_I wouldn't compare them to humans,_' I snickered to myself. '_Oh… Wait… That includes me too. Oh well, it's not like I am human anymore._'

"Ha… Hahaha… You fools," a voice laughed from behind us and we all turned around to see the Captain Beret push himself up. "It would have been fine if you had done as I said… We, the White Berets, are the nicest law enforcers in God Land. They on the other hand won't be so forgiving! With this, you have become 2nd Class Criminals. Mo matter how you cry or scream... Hahaha! The priests of Upper Yard will personally judge you! Heso!"

* * *

><p>"We were tricked!" Nami exclaimed. "Didn't that old lady say 'you can still go'? But once we did it became illegal trespassing! This is a fraud! They can't do this!"<p>

"That's true…" Usopp agreed as he crossed his arms. After the rant from the Captain Beret him and his troops had dragged themselves away like kicked dogs with their tails between their legs. The others had then come off the boat and back onto shore. "However, even if she'd said 'you may not pass', we probably would've used force to get through."

"Shut up!" Nami snapped.

"Anyway, now that things have become really complicated," the old man started to say and we all looked towards him only to notice him and Conis standing far away from us. "If you're a class 2 criminal, we can't help you."

"Why do you have to stand too far away to talk!" Nami yelled at them.

'_Nami, calm down_,' I sighed and frowned as I looked at the pissed off female. '_What happens, happens. It's better if they don't stand near us now or even associate with us._'

"Oh well, it doesn't matter," Luffy laughed as he cracked a smile. "We're already being used to being chased by the authorities. Also, why did you two come back?"

'_Pardon?_' I muttered as I blinked and stared at Luffy.

"Huh?" Nami asked as well.

"We were just about to go to the place no one should enter for a big adventure," Luffy explained, frowning in frustration."Wait, I meant to go there to you both of you…"

"You are a really bad lair!" Nami hissed as she began to smack Luffy in the forehead continually as she yelled, "Big adventure! I told you! There are some really scary guys on that island! You're just saying that because you didn't seem them yourself! Even though I don't know if they're really Gods, their super and illogically immense power is real! An island like that… I will never go there a second time!"

"Fine!" Luffy grumbled as he clutched his head. "We'll go by ourselves, you stay here!"

"NO!" she objected. "Pursuers are coming! We're leaving this country!"

"LEAVE!" Luffy yelped in a horror. "DON'T TALK CRAP! JUST THINK! WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT, ADVENTURE OR YOUR LIFE!"

"My life!" she snarled. "Followed by money!"

"Ah! Followed by me?" Sanji questioned.

"SHUT UP!" Nami denied, shoving Sanji away.

"Oh, by the way," Usopp said as he turned his attention to Conis and her father. "We kept trying to get to sky Island but we never thought about how to get back! Is there a safe way back? Can we really go back to the Blue Sea?"

"With you current situation… A safe route is nonexistent, but…" Conis hesitated in answering him. "There is a way to the blue sea. You must go back down to White Sea and then head far east to a place called 'Cloud End'."

"Cloud End?" he replied.

"Yes, although I don't think you should try to run. Sky Ocean is very big," Conis warned us.

"What do you mean?" Usopp questioned.

"Are you saying we can't escape from those guys?" Nami mumbled before turning around and waving back at us as she started to walk off. "If that's so, then it's the same wherever we go. And if we stay here, we'll just cause you more troubles. Now that we have no place to hide, let's just set sail. Conis! Mister! Thanks for everything!"

"Ah! Mister! Can I take all the food from earlier?" Luffy asked in excitement.

"Oh, of course," the old man replied more than happily.

"All right! Sanji, get the lunch boxes!" Luffy ordered Sanji.

"You don't miss a thing do you?" he laughed.

"I have a request too! Mister, you're an engineer, right?" Usopp started to say. "Can I have some tools and materials for fixing the ship?"

"Oh, no problem," he replied simply, signaling them to come with him as he started walking towards some steps. "Just come to my place again!"

"Wait!" Nami protested as Luffy, Sanji and Usopp followed the old man. "Where are you guys going?"

"I'm gonna go get some food!" Luffy answered simply. "You guys go ahead and prepare for our adventure!"

"ARGH!" Nami screamed in frustration before she spun around to face Zoro and I."That idiot! He still wants to go! It's really scary here!"

"How would I know?" Zoro objected and I just shrugged my shoulders. We don't know, the others guys on the island could just be as weak as the berets. And that God guy may not even be real.

"I don't care either way, so don't yell are me!" Nami sighed before turning her attention to Chopper who was climbing back into the boat. "Chopper! You're still on my side. Right?"

"Don't scare him," Zoro said as he sweat dropped at Nami's tone. "You know it yourself. Once Luffy is set on doing something, he'll do it even if we all protest against it."

"Okay, then! I'm not going!" she snapped back.

'_Then who is going to look after you?_' I questioned as I raised an eyebrow in her direction.

* * *

><p>"HOLD ON!" Nami screamed as she clutched onto the railing. "WHAT'S HAPPENING!"<p>

"AHHH!" Chopper screamed as the boat continued to speed backwards.

After we had all started getting the boat ready to sail, something had picked up our boat from under us and next thing we knew the boat was jerked back and started moving with the thing that picked us up.

'_PUT! US! BACK! DOWN!_' I howled in rage at the giant shrimp looking animal that had grabbed us. My feet were wobbling unsteadily under me as I tried to keep my grip on the decking by digging my nails in.

"WHERE IS IT TAKING US!" Zoro ranted. "HEY! EVERYONE! ABANDON SHIP! IT'S NOT TOO LATE!"

"AND THE SHIP?" Chopper protested. "IF THEY TAKE OUR SHIP!"

"DON'T WORRY!" Zoro answered. "I'LL STAY HERE!"

'_LIKE HELL!_' I screamed back at him, snarling softly under my breathe. '_SO NOT HAPPENING! I AM NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU HERE!_'

"WHAT!" Nami shrieked. "WHAT CAN YOU DO BY YOURSELF!"

"Wait!" Robin gasped as she drew our attention to the back off the boat. A frown crossed my face with I noticed several giant fish chasing after us with open mouths. "It looks like they are prepared to stop our escape too! Those gigantic sky fish, they're chasing us with their huge mouths open! Even if we jump, we won't make it."

"What if we just take down the big shrimp!" Chopper suggested.

"It's useless, whatever we do," Robin responded. "Maybe it's started!"

"You mean, 'Heaven's Judgement'?" Zoro gritted out. "So instead of sending pursuers, they make us come to them… Such cunning bastards."

'_This is not good! Not good at all! If this guy can send monsters after us, maybe he is really a God after all! I thought Gods were only in myths that you read before bed time!_' I muttered to myself.

"Then we're going to that island again!" Nami gasped in panic at the thought.

"LUFFY!"

"USOPP!"

"SANJI!"

* * *

><p>A sucked in a deep breath when I saw the shark surface again, Zoro in its jaws as he used his swords to stop it from closing its mouth. It had been his genius idea to try and take out the sharks that had surrounded the altar we had been placed on. So, of course the idiot had jump overboard after giving me a sharp order to stay on the boat and not get in the road.<p>

"ZORO!" Nami screamed.

"A SHARK! ZORO IS LOSING TO A SKY SKARK!" Chopper cried as the shark dove back down into the cloud.

'_IDIOT! IF ONLY HE'D LET ME HELP! STUBBORN FOOL!_' I snarled, my tail swishing in annoyance as I tried to hold myself back from jumping off the boat and running down the altar steps to help him.

"Ah!" Nami freaked after a few minutes when Zoro didn't come back up."He's not coming up! Did he get eaten!"

"GYA!" Chopper panicked. "ZORO'S BEEN EATEN!"

'_He'll be fine!_' I tried to reassure myself and Chopper at the same time. '_Zoro is too pig-headed to be killed by a shark_.'

"If he had, the cloud would be turning red by now," Robin said eerily.

"Don't say such scary things!" Nami snapped at her.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Zoro yelled as he broke the surface of the clouds, sucker punching the shark so it went flying away from him.

I couldn't stop myself this time; I jumped off the boat and took off down the steps, jumping three at a time. Zoro dragged himself up onto the steps and started walking up them back towards the boat. I meet him about halfway down. I did a quick circle around him, scanning for any injuries.

"I'm fine," Zoro waved me off as he continued up the stairs and back onto the boat. I followed him, frowning at his back while cursing his attitude. I could have helped him.

"Hah…" he panted as he stopped next to the side of the boat. "Damn! Looks like we won't be able to swim ashore… Where in the world are we?"

"All we know for sure is that this is a lake somewhere in Upper Yard," Robin answered as I jumped up onto the railing of the boat, perching there. "It looks like a sacrificial altar."

'_Sacrificial?_' I questioned before swearing. '_That's just fucking great! Of all the Gods it had to be one that likes sacrifices. Bloody typical_!'

"There's a bunch more Sky Sharks!" Nami pointed out where more of the sharks gathered at the base of the altar.

"Seems like we've been taken to a dangerous place by that damn shrimp," Zoro said as he wrung the water out of his top.

"You're a swordsman, yet you used your first to kill a shark," Nami pointed out.

"Zoro's so strong!" Chopper cheered in the background.

"I wonder if Heaven's Judgment is to let us starve in this place?" Robin asked.

'_Where the hell is your mind at?_' I mumbled as I spared Robin a glance.

"Would something that normal really be done by God?" Zoro questioned.

"I don't know, I've never met him," Robin replied.

"With the ship's bottom in this state, we can't put it in the water," Zoro continued after a few seconds. "Anyway, please try and repair it somehow Chopper!"

"Eh? Me?" Chopper squeaked. "Understood!"

"Repair it… So what are you going to do?" Nami retorted as Zoro finally put his top back on.

"I'll enter the forest somehow and use this place as our gathering point," he responded. "Luffy and the others will come here looking for us for use. Isn't there an old saying, 'When you're lost, stay where you are'?"

"The one who should stay put the most is you!" she snarled in reply.

"God's on this island right?" Zoro asked. "I want to meet him."

'_Of fucking course you do_,' I deadpanned before shaking my head. '_Men._'

"What!" Nami yelped. "Why would you want to meet someone scary like that!"

"I dunno, that depends on him," he replied as he tilted his head in an aloof manner.

"Zoro is more arrogant than God!" Chopper marveled as his jaw dropped.

"Don't you know there are also priests here! You mustn't anger God!" Nami tried to talk some sense into him. "This is just common sense!"

"Sorry." He smirked, "I never pray to God. I don't even believe in God, so why should I care?"

"Wow!" Chopper mumbled in awe, sparkles forming around his face.

'_I don't exactly believe in God or Gods. As far as I care everyone is free to believe as they want. I like the stories about Gods, but it's nothing more than stories to me,_' I sighed. '_Whoever this guy is, I am actually rather curious to find out more…'_

"Mamori is cool too!" Chopper said, his sparkles doubling.

"Oh God!" Nami said as she knelt down on the boat and started to pray. "I have nothing to do with these guys!"

"Looks like we can use that vine," Zoro said as he pointed to a vine that was hanging on the boat thanks to a rather large tree limb.

"Ah, that's not a bad idea," Robin agreed. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

"Eh?" Zoro replied. "Okay, but don't get in my way!"

"Wait! Robin is going to!" Nami gasped.

"Take a look around!" Robin said. "This altar is at least 1,000 years old. Seeing such historical remains makes me quite excited. Plus, if we find some treasure or gems, we can use them to repair the ship."

"I'm going!" Nami said with no hesitation.

"HUH!" Chopper exclaimed. "But didn't you say it was scary?"

"We're exploring history!" she chirped as her eyes turned into Beli. Chopper and I sweat dropped at the same time.

'_Relax Chopper_.' I tried to comfort him. '_I'll stay with you. It's not as if I could leave you alone in such a dangerous place_.'

"Thank you Mamori!" he replied, seeming to relax a little as he explained to the other what I had said. "Mamori said she'll stay here."

* * *

><p>"Well then, we are leaving Chopper, Mamori!" Zoro called back to us as they started to walk away in-between the trees of the forest.<p>

"Please take care!" Robin said, waving to us.

"We'll be back soon!" Nami added as she waved as well.

"Okay! Don't worry about us!" Chopper called from our place sitting next to each other on the railing. "Come back safely!"

Once they were out of sight Chopper dropped back down to the deck and walked over to grab some tools. I couldn't exactly help Chopper in repairing the ship thanks to my non-opposable thumbs, so instead I just sat on the side of the boat, my eyes scanning the tree line for any approaching threats.

"Since Zoro and Robin are with Nami, she'll be okay," Chopper mumbled to himself. "I didn't go because I was scared. It's so cool to have such courage! Someday I want to have it too! Anyway, I have work to do. Leaving Mamori and I alone in this forest to repair the ship, they must really trust me! That's right! We're all alone in this dangerous place so…"

A look of shock and horror crossed Chopper's face when he realized the situation we were in. It took him long enough. If anyone was in trouble, it was us. _They _knew where to find us and they would be coming eventually. Let's just hope Luffy and the others find us before then.

'_Chopper, I will protect you_,' I called out him as he turned to face me. '_That's why I stayed here. I will guard you and the boat no matter what._'

* * *

><p>"The whistle," Chopper sighed as he pulled it off its place where it was nailed to the mast of the ship. I lifted my head up, watching him curiously. "Alright then! Good thing I still have this! If something happens, the knight of the sky will save us."<p>

'_Chopper, I won't let anything happen to you_,' I reminded him, sending him a soft smile.

"But who is going to look after you!" Chopper protested.

'_I don't need anyone to look after me!_' I complained childishly as I dropped my head back onto my paws with a pout.

The sound of flapping wings drew both Chopper and my attention, our heads turning to face the direction it was coming from. My eyes widened in horror when a weird looking man that was riding a bird rose up from next to Chopper who was now down on the platform on the altar.

"What?" he said as he held his lance out to the side. "You two are the only sacrifices to kill?"

'_CHOPPER!_' I screamed mentally as I threw myself off the side of the boat, racing over towards Chopper. '_DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!_'

**BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH**

The sound of Chopper blowing the whistle in his panic echoed in my ears but I ignored it. I needed to get Chopper out of that guy's way right now.

I jumped straight over Chopper who was standing there in horror, his face going somewhat pale under his brown fur. I landed in front of the small reindeer, my eyes narrowing in on the threat I now had to face.

'_Chopper!_' I snapped at him. '_Stand back!_'

"Eh? What's this?" the guy on the bird mumbled as he looked at me. "Oh well. Now, it's time to offer both your lives to God Enel."

'_LIKE HELL!_' I protested as he pulled back his lance.

I quickly slipped into action as I jumped back, shoving Chopper to the side roughly. I felt slightly bad for pushing him around like this, but it was for his own good. The tip of the lance imbedded itself into the ground where we had been moments before. The lance guy the dragged his lance across the ground as he pulled it out, fire springing up from the ground where his lance had touched.

'_Fire?_' I gasped as I took another step back so that I was hovering in front of Chopper who was trembling on the ground.

"Why did you dodge?" Mr. Lance asked calmly. "There is nothing that can save you two now. Fuza! Burn them!"

The large bird that he was riding suddenly threw its head back before opening its beak and allowing a jet of fire to shoot out towards Chopper and I.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Chopper screamed from behind me as we both dived to the side to avoid the attack. I felt the fire licking at the tip on my tail as we rolled across the ground the smell of burning fur tickling my nose. I flipped over twice before snapping my legs out again and jumping up to face off with Mr. Lance once again.

'_My tail!_' I complained as I swished it back in forth in the air to try and cool it off. '_You burned my tail! You son of a bitch!_'

"THE SHIP!" Chopper screamed as he pulled himself back up and ran towards the ship. I forgot all about my tail when out of the corner of my eyes I saw fire began to burn up the ropes of the ship.

'_Shit! Merry!_' I swore mentally as I tried to think of a plan of action to get this guy away from Merry and Chopper. '_Chopper! Can you put the fire out?_'

"You're going to grow…" Mr. Lance said eerily and it was at the same time that Chopper did transform into his human form so that he could reach the boat. He jumped up, latching onto the side of the boat as he pulled himself onto it.

Chopper quickly tore the burning ropes so that it was no longer attached to the mast and then he began to stamp on the burning rope to try and put it out.

'_Eyes on the prize!_' I snapped towards the distracted attacker as I jumped forward. I ran across the altar for a few steps before I launched myself up into the air and at the bird Mr. Lance was riding. Before I got close to him, he had swung his lance around towards me right before I was going to pull out my knife.

My eyes widened at his speed and I stuck my paws out so that they came in contact with the lance rather than my body. A yelp tore its way out of my throat when fire seemed to spring up under my paws, an intense burning sensation running through them. I had meant to jump straight back off of the lance but the sudden pain caused me to falter which gave Mr. Lance a chance to swing his lance and send me flying.

I flew through the air and back towards the boat, flying over Chopper's head as he continued to try and put out the flames out on the boat. My back connected with the mast causing me to bounce off of it as the wood splintered and cracked, a rush of breath escaped my lungs.

"MAMORI!" I heard Chopper yelling in the background.

"Oi, oi!" Mr. Lance protested as he flew toward Chopper. "It shouldn't matter what happens to the ship that is not going to be carrying anyone anymore. You are you're nakama cannot be saved."

"Stop it!" Chopper demanded as I tried to drag myself back up to my paws. The pain that shot through my blistered and burnt paws had my eyes squeezing closed. "Stop it! And don't you lay a finger on the others!"

'_First my tail and now my paws… That bastard!_' I gasped in pain.

"AHHH!" I heard Chopper cry out again causing my head to snap up in time to see him transform back into his small form as the lance was thrust at him by Mr. Lance who had jumped off his bird.

"If you're going to carry on like this," Mr. Lance said as he swung his fist and hit Chopper. "Then you might as well offer your life quietly!"

As Chopper bounced back up off the deck from the hit Mr. Lance swung his foot and kicked Chopper to send him flying.

'_CHOPPER!_' I screamed out in horror, a million emotions flooding my system all at once when I saw him get hurt.

Chopper flipped back through the air, heading straight towards the mast where I had been thrown before. I jumped up in the air so that Chopper connected with my side instead, sending both him and I flying back against the mast, the wood splintering behind me again.

"NO!" Chopper screamed and I opened my eyes in time to see a blast of fire heading straight towards us. I quickly managed to twist myself around a bit, thrusting my legs against the mast so that both chopper and I fell to the ground. Once I felt us both slam into the wood I quickly covered Chopper's body with my own, pressing us to ground as the fire connected with the mast.

Once I was sure that no more fire was coming, I rolled off Chopper and heaved myself back up onto my blistered paws. Chopper quickly scrambled up as we both turned around to Merry's mast alight with fire.

"AHHH!" Chopper yelled as switched back to his lager form and ran towards the burning mast. "STOP! I BEG OF YOU! STOP!"

'_CHOPPER! DON'T! YOU'LL BURN YOURSELF!_' I shouted at him as he began to try and pat down the flames so they would go out.

"Don't attack the ship! Please don't do that!" Chopper begged as he wrapped his arms around the mast of the ship and began to tug on it. I couldn't do anything; I was left staring in horror as Chopper hurt himself whistling trying to save the ship. "OOW! DAMN THIS!"

**CRACK**

The mast snapped off the bottom thanks Chopper and he quickly swung it around and threw it off the side of the ship and into the liquid cloud bellow.

"Hah… Hah… Damn," Chopper panted as he fell back to the deck on his ass. "Don't do it again! I'm the ship… The ship guard! They asked me to watch the ship! Hah… Hah…"

"What should we do Fuza?" Mr. Lance asked as he began to walk across the deck towards Chopper. "First you tell me not to attack your friends, then you tell me not to destroy this ship. Then you say you don't want to die. You selfish animal. You really piss me off."

'_You son of a monkey turd_,' I snarled lowly as I stalked across the deck towards him as he got ready to attack Chopper again. '_You come here and attack my friend, then you attack me and then you go for the boat! Now Chopper is hurt and it is all my fault! I was meant to look after him and not let him get hurt! I PROMISED HIM I WOULD PROTECT HIM AND THE SHIP! I may not be as strong as the others but will not sit by and watch my friends get hurt! This boat and my nakama are my life now and I will not let you mess with that! GO DIE IN A HOLE ON THE SIDE OF A GARBAGE MOUND!_'

"Mamori…" I heard Chopper mumbled and Mr. Lance's attention turned towards me instead of Chopper.

"What's this? The dog is still interfering? Yet another selfish animal," Mr. Lance said in a low voice as he pulled back his lance and got ready to attack me.

'_DIE!_' I screamed as I yanked my knife out of its holster and got ready to feint to the left. Just as I began to jump towards the left, Mr. Lance drove his lance straight into the path I was going to take. At the last second I managed to stumble back so that I wasn't impaled, the tip of the lance sinking into the wood and causing the wood to catch on fire.

"STOP! THAT LANCE BURNS STUFF!" Chopper begged from the background which caused me to falter my attack.

'_Fuck!_' I swore and instead of continuing to attack Mr. Lance I used to burnt front paws to try and put out the fire on the deck before it manage to spread further.

"You want life without sacrifice?" Mr. Lance asked as he looked towards Chopper. "If someone wants to survive, then someone else must die. This is reality. You know already that this is the altar of sacrifice, right?"

"Ah… Yes!" Chopper answered as I finally managed to put out the fire.

"Right now your other friends are risking their lives to come here!" he explained. "On this island, each of the four priests controls a territory. When the target enters one of the territories, no one other than the corresponding priest may attack. That's the rules. However, this altar of sacrifice is not in any of the territories. In other words, this is a free area, so any priest may attack. However, we have to wait until those in the trail die."

"Eh?... Then?" Chopper gasped. "If Luffy comes here and saves us, we can all escape from here together?"

"Yeah, that is so," he answered. "If you can escape from this free area. Anyway, that is just the original rules for judgment and in specials situations it can be changed. For example, three of the sacrifices used vines to enter the forest from here."

"Eh? That's a special situation?" Chopper gulped as he realized it was the others fault that Chopper and I were allowed to be killed now.

"For the crime of running away, someone must pay for it with his life as a sacrifice. This is the way of the world. When they come back, they will also be punished so they can realize their mistakes."

'_So in other words…_' I mumbled, my eyes growing wide. '_Only one…_'

"One of you must give your life to God!" he yelled as I jumped at him again.

"NO! MAMORI!" I heard Chopper yelling in the background.

I aimed my knife to try and catch Mr. Lance in the stomach but he seemed to predict my movements and he slipped back a bit so I just missed him. Before my feet could touch back down he thrust the lance straight towards me and I didn't have time to move as the tip imbedded itself in my shoulder blade. Because of a dogs anatomy, instead of sinking straight through flesh, it sunk into flesh and then smashed into bone. My whole body jarred as metal met bone and dug into my scapula.

A burning sensation spread over my body when the flesh around the lance began to burn and smolder. A screamed yelp left my body and my legs gave out on me as he drew his lance out of my shoulder. The smell of burning flesh and hair stung my nose as I tried to drag myself back up before Chopper decided he needed to get himself involved again.

Before Mr. Lance could stab me again something dropped out of the sky, aiming for him. Metal connected with metal and Gan Fall's lance was blocked by the priests' own.

"Thank you for waiting!" Gan Fall announced.

"KNIGHT OF THE SKY!" Chopper cheered happily, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

"A rare guest!" Mr. Lance commented as he pushed Gan Fall back up into the air and away from himself. Pierre quickly swooped in so that Gan Fall landed on his back. Mr. Lance didn't waste time and he too jump up into the air and onto the back of his own bird as he cried, "Gan Fall!"

"Mamori!" Chopper called out as he scrambled over to my side, switching back to his normal form. "Are you okay?"

'_I'll live_,' I snorted as I tried to stand back up and help Gan Fall if he needed it. '_I've had worse_.'

"Don't move!" Chopper protested as he pushed me back down onto the deck. "You're hurt pretty bad!"

"A strong opponent," I heard Gan Fall say up in the air. "We must fight harder Pierre!"

"BIH!" Pierre agreed.

"An old man like you is useless!" Mr. Lance laughed. "Let's just play with him Fuza!"

"Gukakaka!" his bird agreed.

"Yell all you like!" Gan Fall said as Pierre dove towards the Fuza and Mr. Lance in mid-air.

"This island doesn't need two Gods!" Mr. Lance yelled back at him as their lances meet in mid-air.

My head started to spin again because of the loud noises when their weapons clashed together and from blood loss. I squeezed my eyes closed, tuning out from the fight for a few minutes as I tried to ignore the constant screaming my from shoulder.

"OOOH!" I heard Chopper cheering loudly which must mean the fight was going well, "KNIGHT OF THE SKY!"

There were some more sounds of fighting and yelling for a few minutes but my brain was too lazy to process it all right now. All sounded to be going well until Chopper gasped loudly in panic and ran up to the railing of the ship. I quickly snapped my eyes open to see what the problem was and I looked up in the air only to see Gan Fall's chest get run through by Mr. Lance's lance.

"WAAAAH!" Chopper yelled as the old man began to fall down from the sky. "KNIGHT OF THE SKY!"

'_NO!_' I cried loudly and I began to struggle back up to my paws as Gan Fall fell into the clouds.

"BIH! BIH! BIH!" Pierre began to panic.

"Wah!" Chopper yelled as he climbed over the side of the boat and without thinking he flung himself off the altar and into the clouds below. "Knight of the Sky!"

'_CHOPPER! YOU IDIOT!_' I yelled as I loped across the deck, leaving bloody paw prints where I trod. Without thinking I jumped off the side of the boat and into the stone altar below. My shoulder shouted in complaint when I landed and I ended up hitting the ground instead of landing the jump. '_DAMN IT! CHOPPER! GAN FALL! COME ON LEGS! WORK DAMN YOU!_'

I painfully dragged myself up once again; my whole body shaking again as I stumbled forward to the edge the altar. Without thinking it through properly, I threw myself off the altar after Chopper and Gan Fall.

I flipped around the air as I fell, my back entering the clouds first when I finally smacked into them. Landing in the clouds from a long distance is the same as landing in water. It stung like a bitch. My whole body froze and refused to allow me to move so I left sinking through the clouds whilst facing the surface. Just as my vision started to go black I saw Pierre get slammed into the clouds as well and he began to sink like a rock too because he was a Devil Fruit user too.

'_Chopper! Gan Fall! Pierre!_' I cried out. '_Come on! Move damn you!_'

No matter how much I screamed and yelled at my body, it refused to obey me at all. I was sinking into a black land as the water swallowed us all. I'd failed to protect anyone…

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><p>*Gum Gum Fireworks<p>

**Beta read by praeses**


	41. Wait, Nagini?

**Sorry guys, this chapter is shorter than normal! My computer broke down, so as well as all my exams and school work, I couldn't do any writing. It was such a pain. But it's all fixed now, and I only have one more week of school! Hopefully I'll be back to updating normally soon! Enjoy the chapter!**_  
><em>

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><p><em>'Fuuuuuck.'<em> Was the first lazily groaned word that I mumbled when I finally came to. _'Did anyone bother to get the licence plate of the truck that ran me over?'_

"…What?" A confused voice asked.

In confusion I slowly cracked one of my eyes open as my brain slowly came back into focus. I looked around and noticed that I was back in the cabin of the boat which meant it wasn't a truck that had ran me over. Oh yeah, guy on a bird. Fire. Tail. Lance. Stabbing. Falling. Clouds. Ouch.

While I was gathering my wits I also looked to the side to assess my injuries. It appears as if I was laying on my stomach on a soft futon. My right shoulder where I had been stabbed was wrapped snuggly in bandages. Each of my paws were also wrapped in bandages, making it look like I was wearing boots. The tip of my tail was also missing fur from when it had been burnt. I was so not happy about that most of all. My poor tail had been defiled by some asshole. Nobody touches the tail.

"Mamori? Are you okay?" Chopper asked as he crouched down in front of me, a worried frown on his face.

_'…Yeah. I'm fine,'_ I muttered as I lifted my head up and looked around the room. Pierre and Gan Fall were also here and dressed up on bandages. _'What about you? Are you hurt at all? I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you or the boat…'_

"Eh!" he yelped as he stood back up. "I'm fine! You guys are more injured then me, but I've already treated your injuries."

_'Thank you Chopper. How did we get back up the boat though? We fell into the water and that's the last thing I remember,'_ I questioned him.

"The South Birds come and saved us!" he replied happily.

_'Oh, I se-'_

"CHOPPER! MAMORI! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS? WHAT HAPPENED?"

Chopper and I both looked towards the cabin door as voices called from outside. The others must be back.

_'Better late than never,'_ I said as I let out a sigh, getting ready to stand back up.

"AH!" Chopper protested and tried to push me back down again. "Don't get up yet! You're still injured!"

"MAMORI! CHOPPER! WE'RE SORRY FOR BEING LATE! ARE YOU HERE! ANSWER ME!" Nami's voice rang out.

_'Chopper, I'm FINE,'_ I groaned before poking him in the side with my nose as I pushed towards the door. 'They're waiting.'

"Don't move!" he said one last time before slipping nervously out of the cabin.

_'Don't move,'_ I snorted, frowning childishly as I settled back down again. _'And I thought I was the mother hen.'_

"OI! GUYS! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU! WHAT HAPPENED HERE!" Zoro yelled this time.

"N… Nothing really bad happened!" I heard Chopper call from outside but he sounded like he was crying.

"OH! LOOK! IT'S GOING-MERRY! THAT'S THE ALTAR!" This time it's was Luffy's voice that carried across the wind.

"YAH! NAMI! ROBIN! I HAVE FINALLY PASSED THE TRIAL OF LOVE! HAHAHA!" Sanji cooed.

"WERE YOU SCARED! WELL CAPTAIN USOPP IS HERE! YOU CAN RELAX NOW!"

_'Sounds as if the whole group is back… Good.'_

* * *

><p>"OOOOKAY!" Usopp called out as he pointed to blackboard. "Thanks for everyone's report! Good work! After everyone's information was gathered, many things became clear. However, the most important information is this! This island is actually the golden city that Ape United Armed Force have been trying to find!"<p>

Everyone was now gathered back on the island and we were all sitting around a camp fire. Even Gan Fall was with us, but he was still out cold in a futon with Pierre watching sadly over him.

"WOW! REALLY?" Luffy asked in shock.

"Uh… I was reporting that earlier!" Nami grumbled.

"What about that mantra thing?" Zoro question and he bit into a chunk of meat he was eating.

"I only know that he used it to predict out next move," Sanji said as he crushed some herbs in a bowl. "Chopper, the softer the better, right?"

"Yes, make it so that he can drink it because his gullet has been injured," Chopper replied from his place tending to Gan Fall.

"Gold eh?" Luffy said as he clenched his fist. "I've been waiting for an adventure like this!"

"Yup," Nami replied with a wink. "If you're interested, things shall go smoothly."

"Oi, oi! Luffy!" Usopp protested as he went pale. "Did you forget that raider's warning?"

"The God will be angry?" Chopper gasped.

_'If the God was going to be angry, he would be already. Not doing anything will not change that.'_ I told Chopper which made him go even paler. _'Uhh… What I meant was that you shouldn't worry about it Chopper! What happens will happen, so try and relax…'_

"Hehehe," Robin laughed. "Sounds interesting!"

"Nonetheless," Sanji said, "with treasure up for grab, pirates won't stay silent!"

"There is no lack of enemies to fight too!" Zoro pointed out. "This is a game of survival!"

"YEEEEAAAH!" Luffy called out in excitement. "IT'S DECIDED! WE'LL GO AND FIND GOLD!"

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><p>I had found a nice pile of dry leaves to curl up on so that I was nestled in between the roots of one of the large trees. My shoulder still ached a bit, but it was ignorable for now if I didn't move too much. My paws were what was driving me insane though. Having bandages on dog paws was not comfortable in the least. And I looked stupid too!<p>

Everyone else was doing whatever it is they felt like. Sanji was cooking, Chopper was attending to Gan Fall, and the others were just doing other little odd jobs.

"Alright, everyone!" Nami called out to get our attention. "Let's so a mission-briefing and make a battle plan for tomorrow! Everyone here? Okay, first, let's review the contents of Noland's picture book. He first discovered the Golden City 400 years ago. Then a few years later, he revisited Jaya, but the golden city had already vanished without a trace. In other words, this island was part of Jaya, and in those few years between Noland's visits, it came up to the sky."

"On the Knock-Up stream, right?" Chopper asked.

"Yes, that's the best guess. Since Mr. Cricket said that the location of the explosion varies every time."

"With the size of it, it's not weird," Usopp agreed.

While all the talking had been going on, Sanji had been giving everyone their meals. He placed a bowl of stew in front of me as he flashed me a charming smile. I lifted up my head, tilting it to the side and smiling back. Sanji then went on his way, taking the meals to the rest of the crew.

"Just one thing," Zoro said with a mouthful full of food. "We went to Jaya before, and those two forests are too different to have been the same forest."

"Hmm." Robin seemed to contemplate that for a second before coming up with a reply. "That is likely due to the strange substances inside the sea cloud and island cloud. The strange substances seem to abnormally enhance the plants' and animals' growth rates. If that's so, this theory can justify the ruins of civilization that were swallowed by the forest."

"The South Bird that saved us was this big!" Chopper exclaimed as he held his arms out wide.

"Yeah, about that," Sanji said. "Why did those South Birds save you?"

"I don't know," Chopper replied, "but those birds were calling the Knight of the Sky, 'God'."

"GOD!" Luffy exclaimed. "So then I just have to beat up that old bastard!"

"OF COURSE NOT! YOU IDIOTIC BASTARD!" Usopp swore at him.

"Anyways," Nami interrupted them, "let's think back on the information on Golden City that we read in Noland's diary."

"He saw gold!" Luffy supplied as he raised his hand.

"Duh! Moron!" Was Usopp's reply.

"There was something about some huge bell shaped gold," Sanji pointed out. "Then something about the South Bird."

"On last page of the diary, there is something very unclear," Robin mumbled. "The things he wrote before he died. It was 'I saw gold in the right eye of the skull'."

"That's it!" Nami exclaimed happily as she pulled out a map. "Take a look at this! I combined the map that Robin found in Jaya, with the ancient map of Skypiea. When I combine them at the point of Cricket's home…Look! This is Jaya 400 years ago!"

_'So that's what he was talking about!'_ I mumbled as I stared at the map that now looked like a skull.

"Oh! It looks like a skull! Amazing!"

"So then the skulls right eye is…" Usopp tailed off as his jaw dropped.

"This place!" Nami pointed to a place on the map. "Noland meant the whole of the island's body! But the island was split in half so it was impossible to solve the riddle."

"What… Noland... So that is…" Usopp couldn't seem to finish his sentence.

"I see!" Zoro said.

"TREASURE!" Luffy chanted.

"We'll just go straight to this point tomorrow," Nami said as she pointed to a temple on the map, "but we can't just leave the ship here, so we'll split into two groups. There is no doubt there is some huge amount of gold waiting for us here!"

_'Nami… What happened to you wanting to get off this island?'_ I sweat-dropped. _'You caught wind of gold and now I don't think anyone could drag you away.'_

* * *

><p>I was still lazing around while the others were arguing whether or not to have a fire. I was quite happy to sit back and listen until I heard something rustling in the dark forest. My head shot up off my paws, my whole body tensing as it switched into full alert.<p>

I saw Sanji holding up a flaming stick as he claimed, "Don't worry Nami! Those beasts are afraid of fire!"

As he said that a bunch of eyes appeared behind him in the forest, causing me to spring up to my paws.

"Behind you! Behind you!" Nami screamed. "There are some things here already!"

A few minutes later found a bunch of wolves dancing around the fire with the others, loud music ringing around the area. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with our new guests and somehow a party had started. The loud noise and the large amount of party guests had unnerved me a bit. I had slunk back over to my pile of leaves, half burying myself under them in an attempt to hide. Only my nose and eyes could be seen from under the leaves as I watched silently, prepared for any trouble. I was really becoming Miss Antisocial.

* * *

><p>"HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING ZORO!" Luffy yelled out. "THE WEST IS THIS WAY!"<p>

My eye twitched in annoyance as I looked back over my shoulder at Luffy and Zoro who were both going the wrong way.

"Oi! Luffy! Do you ever listen to other people?" Zoro argued. "She said it's in the skull's right eye, so it's to the right! That's this way!"

I clenched my jaw together as my tail swished in annoyance. Robin knew where we were going, so why couldn't Luffy and Zoro just follow her like Chopper and I were doing?

"Would you please tell them that we're going south, which is this way?" Robin sighed.

"Oh, okay," Chopper agreed.

"Oooooh, so we are going south." Luffy finally realized as he snapped a stick off a shrub and turned around to face us. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Luffy! That's a nice stick!" Chopper gapped.

"Hahaha!" he laughed as he started to walk in front of us, dragging the stick across the passing trees. "I think so too, but I can't give it to you. Go find one yourself."

"Oh, okay!" Chopper chirped as he started to look for his own stick.

"Stick, stick, stick."

Chopper quickly found his own stick and we kept moving on our way through the forest. So far, we had run into no problems and I hoped it would stay like that.

"Chopper, you're braver today," Luffy noted.

"Haha, yep!" Chopper replied.

"It's a bit depressing actually," Zoro spoke up. "Yesterday we didn't encounter anything when we entered the forest. Not even a priest that you spoke of… So, I can sort of relate, Chopper."

"Huh? Really? Haha," he laughed cheerily.

_'Zoro, you idiot. You don't want to meet a priest.'_ I shook my head, lengthening my strides so that I could trot alongside Robin who was at the head of the group. My shoulder ached a tiny bit, but I forgot about it once I got moving. My paws were less annoying though, although the little bandage boots I had on them were a bit degrading.

"TSSRARARA!" A loud voice hissed and we all looked up to see the head of a giant snake blocking our path between the trees, its mouth open. Everyone stared awkwardly at the giant creature for a few seconds.

"RUN AWAY!" Luffy ordered as he spun around and bolted for it. "IT'S A SNAKE!"

"AAAAH!" Chopper screamed, tears running down his eyes.

_'When did Nagini get ahold of steroids?'_ I questioned stupidly, freezing on the spot.

"So huge!" Robin observed. "Is this also an effect of…"

"Hey, big guy! I'll cut you in half!" Zoro challenged it.

"JYORAAAAAA!" it yelled at us as it lunged, snapping its jaws as everyone was forced to scatter.

"AAHHH!"

I dove to the left, jumping on a large tree root as I spun around to see if everyone else had gotten away safely. What I saw unnerved me even more; the area the snake had bitten melted away as if it was splashed with acid.

"POISON!" Chopper gasped in horror.

_'Nagini was never this big though… Must be her long lost, drug dealing cousin,'_ I mumbled to myself.

"If it's like that… Running away is probably better…" Zoro decided.

"Precisely," Robin agreed.

"So scary!" Luffy called out, although he seemed more excited than anything.

"Jyoraaaa..." it hissed as it turned around, scanning the area for us.

"Don't touch the poison!" Zoro ordered urgently. "You'll die instantly!"

_'Not shit Sherlock!'_ I snapped in irritation, trying to quickly think of a plan to get everyone out of here.

"YOOHOO~" Luffy tried to get the snake's attention as he used his rubber arm to pull himself up into the high branches of a tree. "Poisonous snake, over here! Follow me! Your food is running away! Ahahaha!"

The snake had other ideas however, and it locked its gaze on Robin who was perched on the trunk of a tree with help of her devil's fruit.

"ROBIN! WATCH OUT!"

'ROBIN!' I gasped in panic, my eyes going wide as I watched the snake lunge at her, its jaws snapping where she was sitting. She managed to jump out of the way just in time, flinging herself into the air.

"Five-Wheel Fleur!" Robin's voice rang out as multiple arms extended out of her hands, acting like a vine so that she could swing away from the danger. "Too bad."

"AWOOOOO!" it cried angrily, turning its attention to Chopper.

_'RUN CHOPPER!'_ I urged him, although he was one step ahead of me and had already started to high tail it.

The snake must have heard me because its attention suddenly turned to me, its tongue flicking out as it tasted the air. I took a nervous step back, staring at it with wide eyes. _'Uhh… Good snake, nice snake… Can we play nice? I know how to host tea parties! What a great, nonviolent way to get to know each other! Ha… Ha…'_

"JYORAAAA!" it roared at me in reply, jumping for me. I swore mentally several times, jumping to the side to dodge its snapping jaws. My bandaged paws hit the grassy ground and I took off at a sprint, my eyes darting nervously back to see if it was going to follow me or not. I ran for a few minutes before I was sure that I wasn't followed and only then did I stop and look around. Silence echoed in the forest.

_'Ahh… Where is everyone? Dare I risk going back to trace their scents? No, I'd better not. After causing that much ruckus, chances are someone will be coming to investigate. Damn. So… Spidey senses… What now?'_

* * *

><p><em>'You know… I don't think I'll ever complain of Zoro's sense of direction again. I am bad as him,'<em> I sighed, my eyes glancing around the trees and plants all around me. I had started trotting along, keeping an eye for my friends, only to end up lost.

"Urgh! How in the world did I end up here!"

_'Well, it looks like I'm not the only one in this predicament,'_ I noted as I silently crept towards the voice.

Using a tree as cover, I poked my head around to look at the person who was talking. I blinked when I saw who is was – A woman, one of the Shandians. She had a large spear resting against her shoulder as she trudged along, an annoyed look on her face. Her hair was a light brown and reached her shoulders, her clothing – a skirt and tank top - were also a mix a browns.

"I'm meant to be helping to fight the priests, not wandering around like I am having a picnic!" she vented, a scowl covering her face.

_'Fighting priests…? Oh shit, that means there are probably a lot of them swarming the island right now. I hope everyone else is okay.'_

I went to step back so that I could slip off quietly and continue my search for my friends, but I have never been very good at stealth. My buttocks brushed against a branch that just so happened to be conveniently placed, so that when it moved, it rustled the whole bush. It broke the silence like a fart in during an exam. Minus the humour… And the smell.

The woman's head snapped around roughly and in one smooth movement she swung her spear out in front of her.

"WHO'S THERE! COME OUT NOW!"

_'Fuck, fuck, fuck! Stupid fat arse couldn't even move out of some bushes without sounding like a damn bull!'_ I mentally swore at myself. _'And here I was hoping to avoid confrontation…'_

I didn't have any other choice, so I took a deep breath before stepping out of the bushes, my whole body tense. The woman's eyes widened slightly as she stared at me, and I meet her stare with a calculating one of my own. Silence. I had to resist the urge to fidget as the silence continued for a few minutes, the woman gaping at me.

"A dog…" she finally mumbled before her eyes turned into hearts. "IT'S SO CUTE!"

_'I'm... Wait... What?'_ I gaped at the woman, wondering if she was sane.

"Wait! No! I can't fall for its charms! Urgh! I hate my damn weak spot for cute animals!" She began to argue with herself, swinging her spear around as if she was talking to an imaginary person. "More likely than not it came with the Blue Sea Dwellers! It's a threat! I need to exterminate it!"

I had no idea what to make of this spastic woman; I had not been prepared for this kind of crazy. All I could do was stare awkwardly, sweat-dropping.

She suddenly sunk to her knees, dropping her spear and cradling her head in her hands as she sobbed, "I CAN'T DO IT! IT'S TOO CUTE!"

_'I'll just back away slowly then…'_ I whispered in a small voice, taking a slow step back.

"Mieeeee." A weird sound echoed across the area, drawing both of our attention.

_'What the… A goat?_' I glanced around, trying to find it.

"AXE DIAL!" a voice yelled and a shout of warning came from the Shandian woman who sprung up from the ground. I didn't need her warning though, as soon as I had heard the sound, I sprung away like a startled rabbit as the ground where I standing erupted in a shower of dirt.

I skittered forward a few steps before pivoting around to look back behind me to see a weird looking man standing where I had been moments before, a large cut in the ground.

"It's God's Enforcers!" the woman gasped as she stepped up beside me, spear at the ready. I was partly relieved to see that she was calm again and looked to be siding with me. Goodness knows I didn't need to fight two different opponents at once. "So, you've finally come?"

_'…Who? What? Where? …That must be one of those dials the others were talking about.'_ I was thoroughly confused.

"You have trespassed on God's land, you have to be taken care off." The enforcer seemed to think he could take us both on.

"Bring it on!" The woman issued her change bluntly, a smirk crossing her face. I was starting to like her attitude.

_'Take me if you can!_' I barked out loud, throwing my head up in the air. The woman spared me a glance, her smirk growing wider at my attitude. I think an odd sort of friendship was just born.

"ATTACK!" He issued an order with had both the woman and I tensing.

"MIEEEEE!" Several voices chorused and suddenly four more of the goat men sprung out of the trees, getting ready to attack.

"HYAAAA!" The woman let out a battle cry as she jumped for the man in front of us, leaving me to deal with the ones in the air.

I didn't move or try to scramble out of the way quickly. I stood still, relaxing my body as I got into the mood of the fight. I had no one to protect here. I could fight without worrying too much. I could concentrate now.

"AXE DIAL!" Two of them called out, aiming their attacks at me. The other two hung back for now.

_'I've seen that trick! It's not gonna work on me buddy!'_ I mentally spat, launching myself up into the air so that I could dodge their strike. I saw their eyes widen at the speed of my sudden movements, and I didn't let the chance pass me by. I twisted around in the air, snagging the shoulder of one of their shirts in my teeth. I then continued to twist over him as I kicked my back legs into the centre of his back, letting go of the cloth. He went lurching forward into the path of his friend's attack, blood spurting out of his side from where he got hit.

My eyes widened as the guy hit the ground, either seriously wounded or possibly dead. I had not expected that kind of damage from the attack. Thank goodness I had not been hit.

"Ahh!" the guy's friend gasped as he touched down on the ground.

My feet touched back down on the ground too, my bandaged paws pressing down the soft grass under me. A smirk crossed my muzzle when I saw a shape appear behind the other Enforcer, the shaft of a spear smacking him across the head. His body crumpled to the ground as the Shandian woman and I looked at each other.

"That was a nice move doggie," she praised. "I didn't expect you to be able to fight like that. No wonder you are with the Blue Sea Dwellers."

_'You're one of the first kick ass women I have seen around, so you're not half bad yourself.'_ Even if she couldn't her me, I'm sure the sudden understanding between us was enough for her to get the idea. It wasn't just guys that could form friendships over fighting. Apparently two likeminded women - uhh, one kick ass woman and kick ass dog – could get along just like men do.

Her eyes widened suddenly as she lunged toward me. It was at the same time that I head the rustling of clothes behind me. Just as I was about to turn around to see what was behind me, but I saw one of the remaining Enforcers lunge for my allies' back. I had to make a split decision between taking care of what was behind me and leaving her to get hurt, or trusting her to have my back while I got hers.

It was an easy choice. I dove under her legs as she jumped up into the air, spinning her spear. I then jumped up, tucking my head in as I nailed the enforcer in the gut before he could attack anyone. He choked a bit before dropping onto the ground.

I touched down next to him, turning around to share a wide grin with the Shandian woman as her own opponent hit the ground.

"So… What now?" she asked, glancing around.

In reply I jerked my head towards the forest, trying to tell her that we should move on. I wanted to find my friends and it looked like she did too.

"Ha… Good idea. Do you know where you're going?"

_'…Shit.'_

* * *

><p>The scent of blood tickled my nose as we continued to walk around aimlessly. We had set off into the forest, picking a random route and hoping for the best. I was a bit disturbed when I smelt blood in the area; I was just hoping it was not one of my friends.<p>

A faint moaning sound reached my ears and I couldn't stop myself any longer. I broke out in a run, heading towards the place where it had come from. My friend had not heard the noise because her hearing and smell wasn't as good as mine, so she was a bit surprised when I suddenly bolted.

"Ah! Hey! Wait! DOG!" she yelled before swearing and jogging after me.

I barked back at her, not slowing down at all and she just swore again but kept up with me. It didn't take long for me to follow the smell to source and I stumbled to a stop when I passed some trees and the injured finally came into sight. It was several of the Shandian warriors. My eyes flicked back in worry when the woman halted, her eyes growing wide in horror.

"NO!" She cried out and stumbled forward and dropped to her knees next to one of the bodies. "Kenta!"

"Amaya…" The man gasped as his eyes fluttered open slightly. His whole body was covered in burns and cuts; he looked like he'd stuck his fingers into an electric socket.

_'Amaya… That must be her name.'_

I quietly crept forward next to her, gently pressing my nose against her arm in comforting manner. She didn't even spare me a glance with time, but she leant towards me a little.

"What happened? Who did this?" She sounded pissed.

"Enel… He's too strong… You should run… While you still can…" the man gasped.

"No! I refuse! We need to beat Enel! Remember what Wiper said!" she argued, shaking her head violently.

"Laki was here before you…" Another voice of one of the fallen men suddenly spoke up.

"Kamakiri!" she muttered, looking his way.

"She's gone after Wiper… You should leave…" he mumbled.

"NO!" she yelled back, tightening her shaking fists. "We came here for a reason! I will not give up! I refuse! I will not keep living like we are! This is our hope, if we don't fight for it, then it is not worth it!"

"Amaya …"

"Shut up," she snorted, standing up with her jaw clenched. "You guys just rest here… Come on Dog."

I was silent, I had nothing to say. These guys weren't my friends… What else was I meant to do? Although they weren't my friends, they were Amaya's. And, she was upset over this, so I was even more pissed off at Enel now. He was causing so much trouble for everyone, and yet he called himself a God. What a lying asshole.

I trotted over to Amaya as she started to march on, heading towards one of the cloud rivers that were winding in-between the trees close to us. While she was walking, she strapped her spear to her back, turning around to face me again.

"I have messed around long enough. It's now time to get serious. I'm going to have to carry you from now on. No more time to waste." She held her arms open and I could guess what she wanted to do. She's was going to use her skates to speed up our progress. With a silent grumble to myself, I jumped up into her arms. She caught me and held me as well as she could, although it was a bit awkward. "…Here we go."

_'…I swear that if you drop me, I will come back and haunt you.'_

* * *

><p>"TSSRARARA!"<p>

_'…NO WAY! IS THAT-'_

"OH SHIT!" The woman cut me off by swearing as she glanced back behind us. I stuck my head over her shoulder, looking behind us too.

Sure enough, my fears were confirmed. Behind us, tearing along the cloud stream was the giant drug dealing snake. Just what we needed.

"TSSRARARA!" it cried again as it jumped towards us, its jaws open wide.

Amaya half turned around, both of our eyes widening at the giant gaping jaws heading straight for us. We both froze, not having enough time to escape from the massive size of its jaws.

"GYAAAA!" Amaya screamed loudly, squeezing me more tightly than I would have liked.

_'SON OF A GIANT DRUG DEALING SNAKE!'_ I swore.

"AWOOOOO!" it cried out in pain suddenly as something seem to protruding from its side. The snake threw its head up in pain, crying out again. Amaya took the chance to move and kicked her skates into gear and jumped forward, straight towards the snake. Instead of attacking it, she switched her hold of me so that she was only using one arm. She then latched onto the Snake's white hairs that came off of its side. We were left swinging there as the snake finally calmed down.

"SHHH," the Shandian woman cautioned me quickly.

"Jyroooo?" It made a sound that sounded like it was posing a question. I was in no mood to interpret it.

_'Smart move…'_ I complimented Amaya, my heart still beating fast from the close call._ 'Hide where it can't see us… I wonder what stopped it though.'_

We both held our breath as it continued to search for us in confusion, but it soon gave up and continued on its way with us clinging to it like fleas.

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	42. Clifford the Big Red Dog

**Well, this chapter is more than a little bit late...Haha, sorry guys! ^^ I hope you still enjoy it anyway!**

* * *

><p>"TSULALALALA!" the snake cried out, charging for a large stalk the reached up into the sky.<p>

'_I want off this thing…_' I whined, my head tucked against Amaya's shoulder as we continued on our way. We had been clinging to the snake for what seemed like over an hour now and Amaya looked like she had no plans to let go any time soon. The damn thing hadn't noticed us at all, and it seemed to be heading somewhere in particular.

"Wait… Don't tell me that it plans to…" Amaya began to whisper but trailed off as she gasped.

'_What!_' I snapped my head up, looking in front of us to see what was the matter. My jaw dropped a bit when the snake launched its head up into the sky, aiming for the shelf of clouds above us that surrounded the stalk. '_Shit, shit, shit! What if that shit is solid!_'

I felt Amaya's arm tighten around me again as we were bumped around from the sudden movement. She really she has something with squeezing me when she was nervous, I felt like an oversized teddy bear. Over the sound of the wind rushing around us I heard Amaya order, "HOLD YOUR BREATH!"

"TSULALALALA!" the snake cried out again as its head breached the top layer of clouds, white surrounding us. I closed my eyes, held my breath, and hoped for the best.

The white cloud tugged at us, but Amaya refused to let go. The tighter she clung onto the snake, the tighter her arm around me became. I started to think she was about to break my ribs if she held on any tighter. Thank goodness I didn't need to breathe right now anyway.

The white spun around us for an undeterminable amount of time before we seemed to break the surface. The sudden light blinded me when I went to open my eyes, so I snapped them close again, hoping that we'd finally stopped. I still wanted off this snake.

"Oh my…" I heard Amaya gasp breathlessly and I finally urged my eyes to open.

'_I think we might have walked… Well, slithered into an awkward moment…_' I mumbled as I noticed the tense air around us. There was a sea of ruins around us on the white clouds, and it seemed to be about to be turned into a battleground.

In front of us were several different people and another dog. A big dog. A really big dog. Bigger than Clifford the Big Red Dog. The other dog was the first thing that drew my eyes and I felt my hackles rising at the sight of it.

On top to the dog was another man, one I had not seen before. I had no idea who he was. Wiper was also there, his cannon on his shoulder. Gan Fall was present as well, ready for battle. The last person I noticed was Zoro who looked to be all in one piece, much to my relief.

"That stupid snake followed me all the way here," Zoro grumbled.

'_So that's what it was looking for…_' I sweat-dropped. I should have known. If there was trouble in this place, our crew was likely the cause of it.

"Go, Holy!" the man riding the dog ordered. "No need to hold back this time!"

"Woof!" the dog responded.

"Pierre, the target is Ohm!" Gan Fall order as he jumped onto his companion.

"They haven't noticed us," Amaya mumbled quietly to herself. "And that tension in the air…They're all strong… Really strong…"

'_They must be blind not to see us…_' I agreed. '_And if you can't handle this, you might wanna hide, woman…_'

"Hey, all of you…" Wiper started to say, "TIME TO DIE!"

With one loud bang Wiper's cannon shot an explosion out, motivating everyone to move all at once as they jumped into the battle.

"TSULALALALA!" the snake cried as it dived toward Wiper, mouth open.

"No! Wiper!" Amaya cried out, but it was drowned out by the sound of the snake's call.

"That's a nice weapon!" Zoro called as he appeared near Wiper, oblivious to the giant snake lunging at them.

"You know nothing, you Blue Sea punk! You've only been here a few days, don't think I'm going to let you take this land!" Wiper snapped as he swung the cannon towards Zoro.

"I don't give a damn about your problems, what happened here is none of my business!" Zoro replied in a very Zoro-like manner as he charged at Wiper, swords at the ready. "So, I'll just repay you for the time when we first got here, raider! Eat this!"

Zoro swung his swords but Wiper used his skate to block the hit from making contact with him. Before Wiper got the chance to counter attack, the snake was upon them, snapping its jaws closed on some ruins as they both jumped backwards.

"Whoa!" Zoro gasped.

"Are you ready?" Amaya asked me over all the other sounds.

"Woof!" I barked on reply, dropping the ground as soon as she let go of me. I hoped Amaya had enough sense to stay out of the way because I was going to help Zoro.

As soon as my paws hit the ground as I took off running, zigzagging around the ruins as I headed towards Zoro.

"GRRRRRR!" Holy growled as he landed behind Zoro, lunging at him.

"More fangs!" he snapped, spinning around.

'_No! Look at his paw! Watch out!_' I snapped mentally as the other dog threw a punch at Zoro.

Zoro flipped back out of the way, panting, "What the… Did that dog just throw a punch at me!?"

"His name is Holy," the man riding the dog replied as Holy stood up on his two back legs. "I am the feeder of Holy! But I didn't just feed him, I trained him in martial arts and to walk on two-legs. I've trained him well, care to try his attacks?"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Zoro muttered.

'_Zoro!_' I barked as I skidded to a stop right next to Zoro, my narrowed eyes staring down with the other dog.

"What! Mamori! When did you get here?" he spluttered when we saw me.

'_Why do you all insist on asking me questions when you are all well aware that I cannot answer them?_' I sighed, my eyes flickering over to Zoro for a second before switching back to the other dog. '_And for that matter, why do I keep answering?_'

At the same time we all noticed something approaching for the corner of our vision and the man atop of the dog raised his sword to block Gan Fall's lance just in time. Pierre reeled backwards and flew back up into the air again so that Gan Fall was out of reach of the other man.

"Gan Fall… Did you learn nothing from you defeat against Shura?" he questioned, his attention diverted from Zoro and I for a moment. "You can barely hold your lance right, old man."

"Even so, I won't leave until I discover your purpose in being here!" Gan Fall snapped back.

"Huh!" he replied. "Even if I tell you, you still won't understand my God's divine intentions!"

Zoro and I didn't get to stay around and listen to the conversation because the snake, that had been forgotten about, dived at us again.

"Mamori!" Zoro ordered as he jumped onto a pile of rocks.

'_Coming!_' I chirped, jumping after him as we put a bit of distance between us and the snake.

Zoro landed in a crouch position on the ground, hissing, "Phew! That snake is really irritating!"

'_No kidding!_' I agreed, landing next to him.

Zoro looked at something behind me and suddenly went silent, his eyes growing wide. I slowly turned my head as well, looking behind me cautiously.

"Chopper!" Zoro gasped.

'_CHOPPER!_' I screamed when I saw the little reindeer unconscious on the ground with injuries all over his body.

At the same time Zoro and I jumped forward, running towards our little friend. "Hey! Chopper!"

"So you are a citizen of the blue seas!" the Dog Rider called out in the background. "Hey, you should watch out around there."

_**Click**_

Zoro trod on something that clicked and suddenly a strand of barbed wire shot out of one of the walls and it scratched straight past Zoro's shoulder.

"Waaah!"

'_Zoro!_' I yelped, skidding as I stop as he fell to the ground.

"What the hell!" Zoro yelled as he shifted into a crouched position. "Barbed wire?"

"That is iron cloud," the Dog Man explained, "it's light as cloud, but hard and strong as iron. It's made from cloud dials. These iron clouds are attached to the ground, effectively working as traps. In this place, the traps are everywhere, but they aren't only for you… I set half of them for myself. And added lures like that creature for people like you!"

Ignoring him, Zoro and I had already made our way over to Chopper and Zoro had scooped him up in his arms. "Chopper! Hey! Chopper! Speak to me! Why are you here by yourself!"

'_If only I looked for Chopper, he wouldn't be like this! I'm such an idiot! Chopper, I'm sorry!_' I whined, flatting my ears back against my head as I stared sadly at him.

"Pitiful," a voice in the background said.

'_The fuck did you just say!_' I snarled as I snapped my head around.

"Do you plan to just sit there and not engage the enemy?"

"That's not it," Zoro responded. "It's just that I didn't like the reason we were fighting for."

"Really… How noble," he replied.

"But," Zoro cut him off, "right now, I'm just a little pissed off!"

'_No kidding_,' I agreed.

"Mamori, watch Chopper," Zoro ordered as he placed Chopper back on the ground next to me.

'_But… Wait! Hey, I was gonna… You know what, never mind. I'll watch Chopper, just make sure to kick his ass,_' I conceded.

Zoro walked off towards the Dog Man, his swords out as he got ready to kick ass. I looked down at Chopper, trying to figure out how I could move him without aggravating his injuries anymore.

"Hey, dog," a soft voice called from behind me and I glanced behind me as Amaya walked towards me. "No… It's Mamori, right? That's what the green-head was calling you."

'_Mhmm,_' I nodded my head.

"Is that little guy your friend too?" she asked, looking over Chopper's prone form.

Another nod of my head.

"We'd better get out their way then, unless you and your little friend want to get caught up in it," she pointed out. "Would you like me carry your friend?"

I looked at her suspiciously for a few seconds. I'd trusted her with my life, but was I really in any position to trust her with my friend's life? She was a Shandian woman after all, they wanted us gone.

"Don't give me that look," she sighed. "I have intention of harming your friend, I promise."

After another few seconds of silent stares, I relented and stepped back from Chopper so that she could pick him up. She was very gentle when she scooped him up, making sure to not hurt him anymore than he already was.

"Come on, let's get out of their road before we caught in their fight. I have to drag Wiper back one way or another, but if I interrupt his fight now, he'll be pissed. "

'_Men… They're way too annoying_.'

* * *

><p>Amaya and I didn't get too far before we noticed a disturbance as several of God's Enforcers shot up the stalk and bounced over onto some ruins. I did a quick count and they totaled up to 5 which wasn't all that bad.<p>

I saw Amaya's grip on Chopper tighten ever so slightly and let a soft growl out to remind her not to hurt Chopper anymore.

"Oh! Sorry!" she gasped, loosening her grip and she glanced at the Enforcers in distracted manner.

'_You want to fight them, huh? It sucks being practically useless in this situation, I know._'

"We are here to help Priest Ohm!" one of the Enforcers called out as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"MIEEEE!" The rest of them got into attack positions, angling themselves towards the other fighters.

Three Shandian warriors suddenly landed in their path, blocking their way to the other fighters. Each of them look rather bashed up with scrapes and bruises all over bodies. I heard Amaya gasp when she saw them, her body going stiff.

"It looks like…" one of them started to say.

"We are the only ones left!" the second finished.

"We will help you get Enel, Wiper!" the last one declared.

"Mamori… I'm sorry… I-" Amaya started to mumbled, looking torn.

I cut her off by nudging her leg with the top of my head. '_Go, help them. Even if they stupid males, their still your nakama, right?_'

Amaya gently placed Chopper on the ground next to me before she reached over and ruffled the fur on the top of my head. "Watch yourself and your little friend here, okay? Those guys… They're dangerous."

'_I can take care of myself fine, thank you very much,_' I snorted in a snippy tone, nudging her towards her friends once more. '_Go, silly. This is your fight now_.'

She kicked her skates into gear and jumped over the ruins until she landed neatly by her friends' side. "You weren't going to start without me, were you?"

"Amaya!" the men gasped.

"TSULALALALALA!" the large snake cried on the background, throwing up its head as if it was in pain.

"That snake!" one of God's Enforcers gasped.

"Hehehehehehehe!" it started to laugh suddenly and at the same time everyone sweat-dropped.

"KYYYYYAAAAA!" two feminine voices screamed as a waver shot out of the clouds and up the bean stalk.

"Nami?" Zoro muttered in confusion.

"Aisa!" Wiper gasped.

"The little miss!" Gan Fall mumbled.

"KILL THEM! MIEEEEE!" the Enforcer Captain order and three of them jumped forward towards Nami and the little girl who were shooting past on the waver.

'_NAMI!_' I yelled in panic and I was almost tempted to run out and try and help her and the little girl, but that would leave Chopper unguarded. Luckily, I didn't have to make that choice. Gan Fall, Zoro and Wiper all blocked the path of the Enforcers and sent them flying back into the ruins.

"Aisa!" Wiper yelled at the little girl as the waver came to a stop. "What are you doing here!"

"Nami!" Zoro joined in the yelling. "What are you doing here!"

"Wiper!" the little girl, Aisa, cried out.

"Ah! Zoro! Where are the others?" Nami questioned.

"What are you planning to do to her!" Wiper yelled, pulling out his cannon as he aimed it at Nami. "Aisa! Get away from her!"

With waiting for Aisa to get out of the way, Wiper fired the cannon straight at them. Gan Fall and Pierre swooped in just in time and Gan Fall grabbed the handle of the waver, lifting them up and into the air as the cannon blast shot past them.

"I'm saved!" Nami panted in relief.

"Why are you here?" Gan Fall demanded.

"That's a very big snake…" Nami murmured as she looked to the side and saw the jaws of the giant snake about to swallow them.

"TSULALALA!"

**CHOMP**

The snake closed it jaws around Gan Fall, Pierre, Nami, Aisa, and the waver.

'…' I was left speechless.

"THAT IDIOT!" Zoro snapped.

"Aisa…"

Zoro and Wiper didn't get much time to stand around and gape before Ohm and Holy attacked them, drawing their attention away. Holy punched Wiper straight through a stone wall and Zoro's shoulder was sliced open by Ohm's blade.

'_Zoro! Dammit! I wanna help but I can't leave Chopper alone while he is knocked out and hurt!_'

"Wiper!" Amaya and another Shandian called out at the same time.

"You can't even save yourselves," Ohm lectured as they both dropped to the ground, "Fools. You should focus on the business in front of you, otherwise you won't even be able to save yourselves."

"You're going to pay for what you did to Wiper!" one of the Shandian warriors yelled, notching an arrow on his bow.

"In these ruins there are four Holy Guards… Plus those two who are probably not dead yet…" Ohm mumbled as he counted with the fingers on one of his hands. "Five Shandian warriors, one intruder from the Blue Seas… To those we add a giant snake, the dog from the Blue Seas, and Holy… That makes 11 fighters and 3 animals…"

'_So he had noticed me… And here I thought I was being ignored._'

"DIE, OHM!" the Shandian Warrior jumped forward, getting ready to let his arrow fly. One of God's Enforcers jumped forward, palm first as he tried to strike down the Shandian.

"MIEEEE!"

"Ack!"

And explosion rocked the ground as a stream of smoke and dust flew up into the air, blocking my view of the fighters.

"YOTSUBANE!" Amaya yelled out as she ran to help her friend. "You bastards!"

"It's time for the Apotheosis, let's do that move, Holy!" Ohm ordered.

"Woof!" Holy barked as he jumped up into the air and lunged at Amaya and the Shandian Warrior, punching them mercilessly.

'_AMAYA!__ God damn it! I want to help! First Chopper, then Zoro, and now Amaya!_'

Amaya and the man impacted against some ruins and the triggered one of the traps, springing up several lines of the Iron Cloud.

"ACK!" both of them cried as the cloud cut into their skin.

"Now! Dash!" Ohm ordered.

"WOOF!" Holy responded, sprinting across a straight patch, setting off a barrage of Iron Cloud.

'_What in the world are they planning!_'

"What's going on?" one of the two Shandians that were left called out.

"Damn it! What is that dog doing!" The other one panicked as the Iron Cloud continued to spring up and around all of us.

"Haha! You're trapped now! This is the real trial of iron!" God's Enforcer laughed as the strands of Iron Cloud connected to form a cage around us. "The White Thorn Death-Match!"

"Completely unnecessary," Zoro hissed as he pushed himself back up to his feet. "It's not like I'm going to run away."

'_Geez, did you have a long enough nap! It's about time you got up!_' I snorted, relieved that he was okay.

"MIEEE! You fool! This is just to prevent escape! This cage is made of barbed wire!" an enforcer started to lecture.

"In other words," Wiper concluded, appearing in front of the Enforcer and landing a kick under his chin. The kick sent him flying back into the barbed wire that sliced up his back with its sharp edges. "It's better to avoid being projected into it."

"The question is, how do I get out after I defeat everyone?" Zoro sighed.

'_Zoro, is your head full of anything but hot air?_'

"Don't be in a hurry, my friend," Ohm chided as the sounds of the Enforcers and the Shadians fighting echoed in the background. "Think about it after you've eliminated me! Eight men and three animals remaining…"

"WIPER!" a female voice screamed from the other side of the wire cage. "Thank God I found you!"

"Laki…" Wiper muttered in an annoyed manner.

"WIPER! LISTEN TO ME!" she yelled as she ran closer.

"What are you doing here!" he snapped.

'_Wait… Behind her… Is that…_' I moved in front of Chopper, my hackles pricking up. '_Woman, you'd better get out of there!_'

"Enel is in the forest! Kamakiri is seriously injured and he charged me to tell you-"

"LAKI!" Wiper yelled in panic when he noticed the same thing I had. "DON'T COME CLOSER! GET AWAY FROM HERE!"

"Huh? What did you say!" she protested.

"GET AWAY!"

"You called?" an odd looking man asked from behind the woman.

"Enel…" she gasped as she turned around.

'_That's the rumoured God…_'

"Wait! Enel!" Wiper yelled as he ran forward and latched onto the wire wall of the cage, ignoring the spikes as they cut into his hands. "Don't do that! She's giving up the fight! Eneeeel!"

"Fool! Don't expect to survive if you're worrying about others!" an Enforcer laughed as he dove at Wiper, palm out.

"Laki! Don't do anything!" Wiper continued to yell. "Just run!"

The woman ignored him and pulled out her rifle, aiming it at his chest and pulling the trigger.

**BANG**

**BANG**

My ears rang with the sound of the bullets over the quiet landscape and I stiffened when they went straight through Enel's body and the holes in his chest closed up straight away. That shouldn't happen. Stupid, stupid, stupid woman! She'd better run right about now! Even if I wanted to help her, it's not like I could have gotten out of the cage to help her.

"A good Shandian is a dead Shandian, Wiper! Mieee!" the Enforcer baaed as he slammed his palm into Wiper's back, cutting a large slice in it. I flinched when Wiper didn't even do anything about it, and just ignored him while glaring at Enel and Laki. "Fool!"

"Wiper!" the woman gasped. "Enel is…"

Her words were cut off as Enel reached a hand out towards her and a sudden, bright flash shot down from the sky and enveloped them both. I cringed at the suddenness of it, turning my head away before I was blinded.

I finally looked back in time to see the poor woman falling to the ground, seemingly burnt all over her body.

'_Oh my… What the hell was that! It looked like lighting… Is he really a God, or was that a Devil's Fruit? And that woman… She should have run… Damn that bastard to hell, even if he is a God! It doesn't give you the right to hurt someone so mercilessly like that!_' I was torn between anger, nervousness, and concern.

"Yahahahahaha," Enel laughed.

"Enel…" Wiper hissed in a low voice.

"So, that's God?" Zoro asked himself.

'_No, Mr. Hot Air_,' I snarled under my breath, 'y_ou don't need to fight him. We need to get Chopper seen by someone first! ...And the Shandian's and Amaya too_.'

"Ehh!" the Enforcer that hit Wiper gasped. "Why didn't he fall down! Alright then! Let's attack him once more! Miee!"

Without a word Wiper reached back, grabbing the Enforcer's head and smashing it into the barbed wire cage.

"AHHHH!"

"You are more naïve than I'd have thought, Wiper," Enel finally spoke, addressing Wiper as the Enforcer hit the ground, twitching. "I make no distinctions among the warrior lambs who attack me, be it a woman or a man. Well then, take care."

Without another word, a zapping sound filled the air, stinging my ears as he disappeared into thin air.

"How terrifying the almighty God sure is!" Ohm commented, breaking the silence.

No one replied to him, instead focusing on the snake as it suddenly moved to closer to where they were all located.

"The snake…" both Zoro and Wiper muttered.

"I've got some business to do with your stomach!" Zoro declared and charged towards at.

At the same time, Wiper also moved towards the snake, both of them getting annoyed looks on their face when they noticed each other.

"Out of my way!" Wiper yelled, firing his cannon at Zoro, who dodged it and swiped his sword at Wiper.

"Holy! Attack!" Ohm ordered.

'_Dammit! I. Want. To. Help. I feel so useless right now_!' I hissed mentally, fidgeting nervously as my gaze flickered between Chopper and the fighters.

"WOOF!" Holy barked as he punched towards Wiper and Zoro, both of whom dodge it by flipping backwards away from the dog.

Ohm didn't give them a break, he swung his sword in Zoro's direction and it extended thanks to the help of the Iron Cloud Dial. Using his owns swords to deflect the attack, Zoro managed to come out unscathed.

"Axe Dial!" an Enforcer yelled, trying to hit Wiper in midair. Wiper was one step ahead on the Enforcers, kicking him either side of the head and sending him flying back into the ground.

"Only six men and three animals remaining!"

* * *

><p>The sounds of fighting raged on all around me, everyone seeming to have a different opponent. Everyone seemed to want to off everyone else. It was now down to three men and three animals. Ohm, Wiper, Zoro, Holy, the giant snake, and myself. Zoro and Ohm were facing off right now from what I could tell. Wiper was dealing with Holy and the Giant Snake at the same time.<p>

I wanted to help but I was given the job of guarding Chopper, and I wasn't about to fail at my job. I could trust Zoro to beat Ohm and get Nami and the others from the giant snake's stomach. I just had to keep myself alive and make sure that no more harm came to Chopper.

Everything was going fine, the sounds of fighting between Ohm and Zoro had stopped. As far as I could tell, Zoro had won. Thank goodness. Then Holy went quiet too, taking him out of the game. Now it was Wiper, Zoro, the snake and I left.

Suddenly, the ground under us started to shake like an earthquake was quivering under my feet.

'_An earthquake… No! It couldn't be! We're on the clouds!'_ My head was jerking around the place, trying to see what was going on.

As if that wasn't bad enough, suddenly light seemed to explode from under my feet, blinding my vision of the situation. I quickly jumped forward, blindly snagging onto the back of Chopper's scruff as the ruins gave out from under us.

The light cleared quickly and I found my falling through the air, a bunch of ruins under me. Zoro, Wiper and the snake weren't too far away from us, and they were all in the same predicament.

"The ground is collapsing!" Zoro said.

'_Your powers of deduction are amazing, Sherlock! But how do we fix this problem_!' I gasped, trying to keep my hold on Chopper without hurting him.

"It's Enel, only he could so something like this!" Wiper informed us.

"Dammit!" Zoro spat out, using one of the ruins to jump off of and push himself towards Chopper and I. He quickly scooped me up under one of his arms and I suddenly became a bag again. Not that I was complaining, I wasn't so sure dogs could land on their feet like cats could. I hope Zoro knew how to stop us though.

"TSULALALALA!" the snake cried, falling with us.

'_Zoro… The ground in coming closer…_' I panicked as we fell headfirst towards the ground without stopping, pieces of ruins covering the air around us. If the fall didn't kill us, the ruins falling on us would. '_Oi… Zoro… ZORO! OHMYGODSABOVE!_'

I closed my eyes, not being able to bear the sight of the ground coming closer and longer. I heard Zoro grit his teeth and swear under his breath. Everything seemed to happen in a rush and I couldn't tell up from down with my eyes closed. I felt myself get jerked to a rough stop thanks to Zoro's arm that was around my midsection. My grip on Chopper made it so that I didn't drop him, but he was jerked around more than he should have been.

I couldn't help but notice that we had survived the fall thanks to Zoro and just as I opened my eyes, something fell on top of us. Zoro managed to stop it with his one free arm, grunting as he did so. He then pushed it away from us with all the strength he could muster.

"Mr. Swordsman… Did you fall along with the rocks?" a familiar voice asked.

"I ALMOST DIED!" he yelled, smacking the rock with his free hand. "Damn rock!"

'_**We **__almost died!_' I snapped, my heart beating erratically in my chest. '_I actually thought we were going to die for a second there…_'

"A… A normal person would have died," the voice spoke up again.

"Oh, it's you!" Zoro acknowledged when we both looked up in time to see Robin. He finally let go of me, and my legs touch the ground shakily. I almost collapsed onto my butt thanks to the way my body was shaking, not quiet over the fact I had almost died. Again. How many times was that now? It sure as hell was not the first time. "Where are we?"

"This is the Golden City we were searching for," Robin explained. "However, there is no gold."

"Eh?"

Robin didn't get to answer because our attention was drawn by the snake as it suddenly started to dance around, throwing its' head back and forth. "TSULALALALA!"

'_It sounds… Happy_.' I marveled as I gently placed Chopper back on the ground by my paws.

Its happiness didn't last long as a jet of lightning came down from the sky to strike it without mercy.

"OH NO, NAMI!" Zoro gripped his head in worry.

'_Shit!_'

"Eh? Zoro? Robin! Mamori!" Nami suddenly called out, walking out from behind some rubble.

"WHY ARE YOU OVER THERE!" Zoro snapped. "When did you get out!"

"Why is Miss Navigator here?" Robin asked.

'_Nami! You're okay!_' I barked happily, throwing my head up in the air.

"…Never mind that," she dismissed. "I'm okay, but… Luffy is still in there."

'…_That idiot. Always in the centre of the trouble,_' I dropped my head, rolling my eyes.

"Huh! Why is he in there!" Zoro deadpanned. "How the heck did he even get in there!"

"I don't know! He was in there before me!" Nami snapped in reply.

"The King of the Sky was able to withstand my bazooka so many times, yet… One hit from Enel…" Wiper muttered, standing not too far from us. "What about Aisa?"

'_The little girl didn't come out with Nami… She must be with Luffy,_' I mumbled.

"ENEL!" Wiper yelled, spinning around firing his canon at the top of a ruin.

Enel merely jumped up in the air and pulled out a dial that created a ball of cloud for him to land on. While this was happening, Nami ran forward, grabbed Chopper and hide behind a piece of rubble. I love the little guy, but I was glad to give him over to someone else to look after him. I'm not all that good at sitting out of the action just to protect someone. I'd rather be in amongst it all.

I noticed movement out the side of eye and glanced to the side in time to see Gan Fall stand near us, Pierre missing for once.

"Yahahaha!" he laughed. "What did you do that for? That's no way to return the favour of bringing you back to your homeland! Yahaha! Anyway, the game isn't over yet."

"Game?"

"That's right. You and the others are all contestants of my little game," Enel lectured. "The goal of the game is simple…"

'_I lost the game*_,' I mumbled in a distracted manner, cursing Enel for ruining my winning streak. '_I was up to several months now and then you just made me remember it again! Dammit!'_

"3 hours after the Shandians entered the island, how many people among the 81 contestants will survive?" he continued. "It's a survival game! Of course I am also a contestant. I even allowed some people to join the fun after the game already started. My prediction was that there would be six survivors. In three minutes, the three hour limit will be over. Thus, it's quite problematic that there are still seven survivors here. God's prediction can never be wrong! So… Who here will be eliminated? Will you do it yourselves or should I?"

* * *

><p>*'The Game' is a mind game that is played by people all over the world. The object of the game is to forget about it for as long as you can. When you remember the game, you must say: "I lost the game" out loud. There are three simple rules to the game:<p>

Rule 1: You are playing The Game.

You, along with everyone else in the world, always is, always has been, and always will be playing The Game. Neither awareness nor consent is required to play.

Rule 2: Every time you think about The Game, you lose.

Loss is temporary; as soon as you forget about The Game you stop losing. The objective of The Game is to forget that it exists. Good luck.

Rule 3: Loss of The Game must be announced.

Every time you think about The Game, and hence lose, you must say so. This is the only rule that can be broken, but do you really need to cheat?

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses (who lost the game multiple times while editing and reediting this chapter)<strong>


	43. Crazy Woman

** Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciate it! You're all awesome!**

* * *

><p>Silence echoed around the area after Enel had asked us if we were going to choose who was going to be eliminated. Robin, Zoro, Wiper, Gan Fall, and I all stared at him blankly, not all that amused.<p>

"Hey, you want to?" Zoro broke the silence causally, glancing at Robin.

"No, thank you," she dismissed the idea.

"Me either," he agreed.

"Not me…" Wiper added.

"I refuse as well!" Gan Fall said.

'_Yeah, I'm with them. I'm not going to roll over and play dead._' My tail swished behind me, the tip of the tail was still missing all its fur much to my annoyance.

All the others turned their head towards the direction where Nami was hiding.

"W…Wait! I…" she stuttered as she stuck her head around the side of the rock.

Everyone quickly dismissed her, pulling out their weapons and pointing them at Enel whom was still riding the cloud bubble.

"You will."

"Impudence," Enel chuckled. "Yahaha! You're going to eliminate me? I wouldn't expect less from the survivors of this game. However, do you know who you are talking to? It seems that you don't understand what a God is! Yahaha, the Old Man fighting for the prosperity of Skypiea, the warrior fighting to return to his homeland, and the pirates from the Blue Sea trying to steal the gold… This world is filled with so many troubled lambs. Even the country itself has sinned greatly!"

"Instead of talking nonsense, why don't you tell me what you seek to accomplish here and where the Militia Members are being held captive!" Gan Fall challenged.

"I simply seek to return, Gan Fall," Enel said.

"Return?"

"Yes. I have a place I should be," he explained. "On the Sky Island where I was born, where people say God lives, people call it Fairy Vearth and there is a limitless amount of earth. That is the ideal world I seek! That is what I deserve to have! This God's Island… This puny piece of earth is nothing, yet you've fought for centuries to control it. Do you understand? The reason you fight is actually more philosophical. Think about it, not a cloud, but born of the sky; not a bird, but lives in the sky… This country defies all laws of nature! Earth, men, and God all have a place they belong!"

"You can't!" Gan Fall gasped.

"What do you mean, "You can't"?" I am doing what a God should. I am sending you all too where you belong, below the sky!" Enel laughed.

"What!" Wiper snarled.

'_He's going to kick everyone off the island…?'_ I mumbled in confusion. '_How does he plan to do that?'_

"You want to destroy this country!" Gan Fall yelled in anger.

"It's the law of nature," Enel commented calmly.

"Don't think so highly of yourself, Enel!" Gan Fall responded. "'God' is nothing but a title for the leader of our country."

'_So, he's not a real God?_'

"That's before I became God." Enel started to pick his ear.

"THE PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD DON'T NEED A 'GOD'!" Gan Fall screamed.

"Yahahaha," Enel laughed. "Ex-God, Gan Fall, you've been worrying about your Militia, haven't you? Six years ago, they lost to my army. Your 650 followers, this morning they finished their job. Like I said earlier, right now, the only people still sanding on this island are unfortunately just the seven of us."

"You…" the Ex-God gasped.

"I didn't want to do it, but after I told them my plan…Yahaha! They all went berserk on me," Enel laughed like it was some joke.

"…Their families… On Angel Island…"

"Oh! That's right. Their families will need burials."

"YOU FIEND!" Gan Fall yelled in anger, charging at Enel with his lance at the ready.

Enel easily jumped off his ball, making it so that Gan Fall's thrust only just missed him. Enel then extend both his hand towards Gan fall, the index fingers on each pointing out.

"Ten million… Twenty million… Thirty million volts… VARI!" As Enel finished the sentence lightning sprung from both of his fingers, enveloping Gan Fall with a crackling sound.

"STRANGE KNIGHT!" Nami yelled.

"Gan Fall," Enel addressed the old man as he fell to the ground, knocked out cold. "In this world, there is a God. Me!"

"Devil Fruit!" Zoro finally realized.

"Most likely the Goro Goro Fruit," Robin spoke up. "It's one of the invincible powers. The power of lightning."

"Lightning?" Nami gasped in fear. "Impossible. How can we win against that!"

'_We'll find a way! We have to if we are going to stop him!'_

"Perfect, now is predicted time. There are exactly six survivors, Yahaha! Good job surviving this far! Now I shall travel to the Fairy Vearth and all of you shall come with me!"

"What did you say?" questioned Zoro.

'_Can I pass on that offer? My mother taught me never to take rides with stranger._' This guy was no joke, and even if I was pissed at him, attacking him straight up would probably get me killed. I was nervous, and I had no idea what to do. Maybe if Zoro, Robin, Wiper, and I attack him together…

"Once we are there, I will create a new God's land. Only those chosen by me may live there," Enel explained.

"What is he thinking?" mumbled Nami from behind the rock.

"Since they weren't able to survive such a short game, my precious followers are unfit to live in that country!" Enel decided.

"What if we refuse?" Robin asked simply.

"Refuse?" Enel seemed confused. "Why? I've already decided! If you stay here, you will fall into the abyss with this country."

"True, with your power, it is possible," Robin admitted. "However, if you destroy this country, that thing you want will also fall, no?"

"You mean the Golden Bell?" Enel asked. "Yahahaha! Don't worry, judging from your earlier adventures, I can think of only one place where the bell could be."

"Ah!" Robin gasped.

"Gold?" Nami's head popped around the corner.

"Golden bell…" Wiper mumbled.

"Looks like you're thinking what I am thinking. You seem surprised! Did you think you could trick me and find it yourself? You underestimate me!" Enel pointed his sparking finger at Robin. "How shallow."

"ROBIN!" Nami screamed in the background.

'_ROBIN!_' I panicked, jumping in her direction.

"I don't like shallow women." A blast of lightning shot out of Enel finger and engulfed Robin before I had to chance to reach her. I skidded to a stop a meter away from her, staring in horror as the lighting disappeared as quickly as it came.

Just as she was falling, Zoro appeared and garbed her while keeping a hold of his swords. I stared at Robin in horror, rage starting to fill my body. She didn't even attack him, and yet he still hurt her like that! It was the same with that Laki woman too!

Zoro slowly turned his head around to glare at Enel, placing Robin gently on the ground as he hissed, "She's a woman…"

"Yes, I can see that," Enel answered.

Zoro straightened himself back up and spun around, charging at Enel without hesitation. Enel spun his staff around, blocking Zoro's swords. I placed myself protectively in front of Robin's unconscious form, snarling at the so called 'God'.

"Hm, nice strong arms," Enel complemented Zoro.

"YOU REALLY PISS ME OFF, ASSHOLE!" Zoro yelled.

Using his staff, Enel pushed himself off of the ground and up into the air as he avoided another of Zoro's swipes. Wiper positioned his cannon on his shoulder and took aim at the airborne Enel.

"Burn Bazooka!" Wiper yelled out as he fired at Enel.

"Yahaha!" Enel laughed. "Kari!"

A bright flash exploded around Enel, blinding everyone who was looking in his direction. I flinched, closing my eyes. I couldn't tell what was holding me back from the fighting. Enel pissed me off so badly that I wanted to take a chunk of flesh out of his ass. But, at the same time I was also slightly scared. Both Wiper and Zoro weren't even scratching him. What was I meant to do?

When our vision cleared again, we saw Enel perching on a half destroyed wall, completely unharmed.

"Damn you," Wiper hissed. "Destroying the rocket in an instant…"

"You still don't get it?" Enel sighed. "The pathetic trickle of power… That is all people like you can do against me… Tsk, tsk. I was simply inventing you to come to endless earth. Why did you suddenly start attacking me?"

'_Why? Why! You asshole! YOU ATTACKED ROBIN!_' I snarled, pulling back my lips to flash my teeth at the arrogant man.

"Who were you trying to invite?" Zoro snorted before charging at Enel once more. "Because I have no interest in that dream world of yours!"

"No! Zoro! You can't beat him!" Nami screamed in the background.

"It seems you need to be taught a lesson on what God is!" Zoro's sword sliced straight through Enel's stomach but there was no blood, only lightning crackling around the cut. "No matter how hard you try, you can't win! I will use my overwhelming strength and teach you what 'Hopelessness' feels like."

'_I-I should help!_' Part of me wanted to help and the other part of me refused to move. The guy we were facing was really dangerous, not like anyone we'd encountered so far. Before now, I would have been able to bite or cut my opponents, but physical attacks didn't work on this guy. I could use nothing but physical attack… '_I need to help Zoro but my feet won't move… Why won't they move…_'

"Ah!" Zoro yelped as Enel's stomach patched itself back together and he grabbed onto both of Zoro's swords.

"Losing all hope and dying are two strangely similar things," Enel said as he used the swords light lightning rods, sending lightning straight down them and into Zoro.

"WAAAAH!" Zoro screamed in pain.

'_ZORO!_' My body was shaking by this point. '_Not Zoro too…_'

"ZORO!" Nami screamed as well.

"For mortal men, death is the most terrifying thing!" Enel lectured as Zoro fell to the ground. Enel then proceed to slam his foot down on Zoro's head.

'_Zoro! Dammit body, move! Why won't you move! Z-Zoro's in trouble… I need to help!_' I hadn't noticed it before now but my breath was coming in short gasps.

"It can't be helped, men beg when terrified. It's in their nature," Enel continued running his mouth off.

'_Have I really gotten this weak that my body won't move when I meet someone stronger than myself…_' I let out a sour and vindictive laugh in my head. '_Pathetic._'

Wiper dropped his cannon and jumped at Enel, wrapping his legs around Enel's waist so that he was latched on tightly. Wiper then placed one of his palms on Enel's chest, using his other hand to hold that arm up.

"What are you doing?" Enel asked calmly. "Committing suicide?"

"Do you know what seastone is, Enel?" Wiper replied.

'_Seastone?_' I gasped. '_He has some?_'

"I added some to my shooter, and it's draining your Devil's Fruit powers," Wiper continued.

Suddenly Zoro pulled himself out from under Enel and sprung backwards, landing in a crouched position.

'_Zoro_!' I took a shaky step forward in relief. '_You're okay!_'

"My strength is being… Drained." Enel fell to his knees.

"EAT THIS!" Wiper barked.

"No! You're trying to use 'Reject'?" Enel began to seem nervous. "Your body can't take it! Don't you want to live and own land?"

"Shut up! I just want to die and I'm taking you with me!" Wiper yelled.

"Don't do it!" Enel panicked.

"REJECT!" Wiper's hand created an impact in Enel's chest, blood shooting from his mouth. The whole area then exploded in a cloud of dust, blocking our vision of what was going on. When the dust did clear, Enel was laying on the ground with Wiper standing above him, his arm hanging limply by his side.

"Can it be…" Nami muttered. "Did he beat him?"

"Hahaha," Wiper laughed dryly.

"Robin!" Nami ran out from behind the rubble and knelt near Robin.

"Hey, Strange Knight," Zoro addressed the old man who was also out cold.

Suddenly Enel body exploded with lightning, causing him to arch his back off the ground as sparks dance around his body. Everyone gasped at the same time and faced back towards him as the lighting stopped and he calmly stood up again.

"Did he just restart his heart?" Nami gasped in horror.

"Mere men cannot make God feel fear, for true terror comes from God, and God alone," Enel said, wiping the blood away from the side of his mouth. "What have I been saying, just give up?"

'_Give up… No. We can't. No. We won't!_' I muttered.

Wiper suddenly feel to his knees in front of Enel, coughing up blood. "D..Dammit."

"Oh look," Enel teased. "You look awful, Wiper the Warrior."

"My name is…" he objected.

"Hmm?"

"Not something you can use so casually!" Wiper yelled as he started to rise to his feet again. "For I am the decent of the great warriors who fought to the death for their home 800 years ago! The warriors of Shandian. Since that day, following the dying wish of the great warrior Karugara, for 400 years, we have been searching for this place… Now I'm finally here! Out of my way, demon!"

In response Enel just spun his staff and knocked the injured warrior down to the ground yet again without mercy.

"The same trick won't work twice, Wiper. The Seastone won't help you again," Enel explained. "To fire a shot of a mortal man's suicidal attack, reject, and still be able to stand up is rather impressive. But you're still no match for me! Thirty-million volts…"

"The drum turned into a bird!" Nami gaped as one of the drums behind Enel's shoulder turned into an electric bird. It was about three times the size Enel was, and the static sound it was making rung in my ears.

"30,000,000 Volt Hino!"

The attack flew straight towards Wiper with blinding speed, and before anyone had a chance to do anything, it hit Wiper. Again, his whole body exploded into a circuit of electrical currents, his mouth opening in a silent scream of agony.

"I have to get that Seastone!" Zoro hissed, charging forward as Wiper hit the ground.

"Oh, you want one too, Swordsman of the Blue Sea?" Enel asked.

"Why not!" Zoro challenged. "Give me your best shot!"

'_ZORO! YOU IDIOT!_' I yelled in panic, trying to get my body moving so that I could go help him. _'You stupid bitch, move damn you, MOVE!_'

"Kiten!" Enel yelled, a giant lightning dog flying out from another of his drums, roughly the same size as the bird. After seeing what the bird did Wiper, I didn't want to watch the same thing happen to Zoro.

The lightning dog smashed into Zoro, enveloping him in a ball of lightning and there was nothing he could do to stop it. His large head had finally got him in trouble.

"GUAAAAA!"

"ZORO!"

'_ZORO! DAMMIT! FUCKING DAMMIT! YOU SPINELESS COWARD OR A WHORE'S SON! FUCKING MOOOOOVE!_'

Zoro's body hit the ground and I had to move. No matter how badly I was shaking, no matter how scared I was, I needed to do something. Before I noticed it, I was half the distance between Enel and I, my paws flying under my body as I charged. My knife would be useless, it would only conduct electricity.

"MAMORI!" Nami screamed in background.

'_YOU ASSHOLE!_' I screamed, my eyes zeroed in on my target. I could hear my heart in my ears and everything seemed to flashing by me as I ran, Enel being the only thing that stayed in my sight.

"Yahaha! Even the dog is going to try and attack me," Enel laughed and pointed a finger at me. "Thirty-Million Volts…"

I feinted to the left to move out of the direct line that his finger was pointing and I changed my course. Behind me the lightning connected with the ground, rubble flying in the air as it missed me completel, much to my amusement. Maybe I could do this!

I jumped towards the wall of the ruins, my paws slapping against the old stone. I then used that as a push-off point, launching myself up and into the air in Enel's direction. I twisted around while I was in the air so that I was jumping directly at Enel, head first with my stomach angled towards the ground.

My body connected roughly with his, knocking the breath out of my lungs as my chest connected with his shoulder. It wasn't the smoothest landing I had even made, but it'd do. I lashed out, latching my teeth around the joint between his neck and shoulder, sinking my teeth in.

I didn't taste blood or flesh, instead several sparks shot out of his body and zap my muzzle and mouth.

"Useless," Enel sighed and suddenly his whole body exploded into a mess of lightning, surrounding me.

It wasn't what I expected. My whole body convulsed, all my muscles tightening as the electricity ran through my body. My vision went completely black, and the only thing I could feel was pain. There was a really loud buzzing and crackling sound that also buzzed in my head. If I could have screamed, I would have, but my chest muscles wouldn't even let me draw breath to so much as yelp.

I don't know how long that feeling lasted, it felt like a long time before the buzzing stopped, and I was swallowed by warm darkness.

* * *

><p>I felt my ears twitched as the sound of ringing reached my ears. It sounds like a bell that was echoing over the landscape. I cracked my eyes open, blinking owlishly as I noticed all the people gathered around.<p>

'_Wait… What…_' I mumbled. '_Where am I? Where is Enel? What is everyone doing here? What's that bell sound?_'

I carefully rolled over onto my stomach, twitching as my muscles protested. Apparently getting fried wasn't good for a dog's health.

"HE DID IT!" Usopp cheered, throwing his arms up in the air.

"What a beautiful sound," Robin complimented it.

"Wow!" Chopper gasped, sitting up. "How nice! What's that sound?"

"I knew it…" Gan Fall started to tear up. "I knew this day would come. I knew it would…"

"…So, this is what Norland heard back then?" Sanji said.

'_OH! Is that sound really that bell that Norland was talking about?_' I finally started to understand what was going on. '_So Luffy must have beat Enel!_'

* * *

><p>"It's okay, I'm fine," Zoro protested, leaning casually up against a slab of rock.<p>

"No! I have to patch you up or-" Chopper argued, flapping his arms around.

"Instead of worrying about me, you should take a look at him," Zoro said, jerking his head in Wiper's direction.

"Eh? You mean that person over there?" Chopper questioned, glancing at the unconscious man.

Chopper made his way over to Wiper, and just to be on the safe side I followed him. Chopper kneelt by Wiper's side and started to check him over and I sat down, just off to the side.

"Wow, you're right!" Chopper gasped. "He's wounded really badly!"

"Hey… Isn't he one of the raiders? Why are we helping him?" Sanji asked.

"Hm…" Zoro considered it. "I don't quite understand what he is about, but I know that he's at least an honourable warrior."

"What are you saying?" Sanji snorted. "You pity him?"

"Sort of," Zoro admitted.

"Can you help him?" Aisa asked quietly, walking up to us.

"Don't worry, he'll be okay," Chopper reassured her.

The others were talking in the background as Chopper treated Wiper, but I ignored what they were saying. I wondered if Amaya was okay. I looked around carefully but I saw nothing else except our little group.

"HEEEEEY!" a voice yelled in the background, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"AAAAH! MISS NAMI~ CONIS~" Sanji cooed happily when he saw Nami, Conis and Luffy running towards us with a large bag dragging behind them.

"I'm so glad you are all safe!" Conis burst out crying when she came to a stop in front of us. "I was so worried, but I couldn't do a thing…"

"Oh~ Conis~ Were you really that worried about me?" Sanji danced around.

"Stop acting crazy," Usopp sighed.

"Is that food? Where did you get it?" Zoro asked.

"We found the Priests' storage on our way here," Luffy said, waving to us. "There is still a lot more too~"

'_I'm guessing that's what that bag is full of then_,' I chuckled, smiling softly.

"How'd you get down from up there?" Usopp asked.

"I used Gomu Gomu no Fūsen," Luffy smirked, pulling the peace sign.

"Hey, Conis, where is your father?" Zoro asked.

"He… Umm... He…" Conis mumbled, a sad look coming over his face. "Tried to protect me…and Enel…"

"You mean…" Chopper gasped.

"Conis…" Sanji muttered.

"Conis…" Pajaya mumbled.

"Conis…" Luffy joined in.

'_Wait…_' I sweat-dropped. '_That isn't right…_'

"YOU SOUNDED LIKE THE ONE WHO DIED WASN'T YOU OR SOMETHING!" everyone snapped suddenly, pointing at the Old Man who was meant to be dead.

"I'm sorry I am still alive!" he apologized.

'_That's not what you are meant to say!_' I grumbled.

Pajaya then proceeded to explain who he was alive while Conis cried in his lap, happy to see her father alive. I was still smiling softly, glad to see that they were still both alive. They were lovely and friendly people.

I heard the rubble crunching close to us as someone walked closer to us and thanks to my superior hearing, no one else seemed to notice. I turned my head in that direction, watching curiously as someone stepped out from behind the rubble.

'_AMAYA_!' I screamed so loudly that Chopper actually cried out in shock and jumped away from both me and Wiper.

Before the others knew what was going on, I was on my feet and running towards the other female. I saw Amaya smile widely when she saw me and she held her arms out, a clear invitation. Without hesitation I launched myself up into her arms, colliding with her chest as she wrapped her arms around me. She grunted a bit from the impact, and stumbled a step back, but she managed to stay on her feet.

"Hey dog!" she laughed as I wiggled happily in her arms.

'_You're okay! I'm so glad!_' I yipped and barked as a nuzzled the top of my head under her chin, probably sounding and looking mad to anyone who watching.

"Amaya!" Aisa called out happily, trotting up to us.

"Mamori?" I heard Nami question in the background and I looked up to see all my friend's staring oddly at me. I only just realized how odd it must have seemed to them, me being so friendly with a Shandian. They had no idea that Amaya and I helped each other out.

"My Lady, what a rare sight to see such a beauty like you in-" Sanji started to coo but Amaya cut him off by ignoring him.

"Hey there kid," Amaya greeted Aisa before looking at my friends. "Are you the Blue Sea dwellers that look after this dog?"

"Yep!" Luffy chirped.

"I see," Amaya hummed, losing her arms so that I could drop down onto the ground. She then squatted down in front of me, reaching over to pat the top of my head. "You're lucky people, this is a very brave and smart dog. And, well, she's really cute too!"

'_I-I… But you helped me more than I help you!_' I spluttered, getting highly embarrassed as the compliment.

"How do you know her?" Nami asked suspiciously.

"We met in the forest, she helped me kick the butts of some of God's Enforcers." Amaya stood back up, smirking. "Aisa, how is Wiper?"

"He's okay, the little Raccoon Dog is going to help to him," She smiled up at the older woman.

"I already told you that I am Reindeer, not a Raccoon Dog!" Chopper snapped in annoyance.

"It talked!" Amaya gasped, her eyes going wide.

'_He does that_,' I snickered to myself. '_Hey, Chopper! Can you tell Amaya here that I am very thankful for all her help!_'

"Eh?" Chopper glanced curiously at me. "Okay. Mamori says, 'I am very thankful for all your help'."

"What? Mamori? The dog? She speaks to you!" Amaya looked highly confused, glancing between Chopper and I.

"Mamori isn't just a dog! She's a magic dog!" Luffy added, smiling widely.

'_Luffy, not again!_' I rolled my eyes. Luffy loved showing off way too much.

"…A magic dog? I mean, yeah, sure, she'd good at fighting but-"

"Mamori here is a poor unfortunate soul of a woman who has been entrapped in the form of a dog. One day I will free her and she will-" Sanji started to go on one of his rants.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! You're trying to tell me that Mamori is a human in a dog's body!" Amaya looked me up and down in a skeptical manner.

* * *

><p>A party. Again. What is it with people and parties! I mean sure, technically we saved Skypiea, but does that really warrant a party? A 4 freaking day long party. Night and day. It probably would have kept going if everyone didn't pass out from drinking and dancing way too long after 4 days.<p>

Amaya on the other hand really got stuck into the party. I'd never seen a woman that could drink as much as she could. She was a bottomless pit! The crazy woman tried to keep me around and partying for as long as she could. After she'd started to believe that I was human, she officially declared me as her friend. She also seemed to think it as the friend's duty to try and get me drunk.

I was not in the same mind as her, and I didn't want any alcohol. Gods knows what it does to a dog's body. Luckily, I, having lots of practice, was good at slipping away during parties and hiding. The second Amaya took her eyes off me, I went and hid somewhere quiet. It usually took her a few hours to find me again and then it started all over again. For 4 freakin days.

When the crazy woman finally fell asleep, I curled up by her side, happy things that were finally quite. Amaya, as crazy as she may be, reminded me of my friends back home. If I could even call it home now. I'd be sad to say goodbye to her when the time came.

* * *

><p>It was time to go. Luffy called a meeting late last night and told us that we were leaving today. We wear to grab as much gold as we can, and then run. We were to leave no regrets. It was time to farewell Amaya.<p>

I stuck close by Amaya's side all morning, following around by her side where she went. If she noticed my attached attitude, she didn't comment. I was glad for it. Amaya and I ran into Robin and the rest of the Shandians, so we joined them. It seemed they were heading back to the ruins with a large rode of gold wrapped in cloth. I fell into step with Robin, Amaya on my other side. Robin explained to me that it was from the bell and they _planned _to give to us as a present. I didn't miss her knowing smirk as she said it.

"Hey! Robin! Mamori! Hurry up!" Luffy yelled when he spotted up walking towards them. "We stole their gold! We need to hurry up and leave!"

'_Oh Luffy…_' I muttered. '_How typical of you_.'

"Dimwit! Why did you blurt it out! Don't you see all those people behind them!" Sanji snapped in anger.

"This isn't good! They have a cannon!" Usopp panicked.

'_Cannon?_' I blinked.

"AAAAH! So many people and a huge cannon!" Chopper joined in Usopp's panic.

"Let's go back to the ship!" Luffy yelled at us as he turned around and started to run in direction of the ship. "We can't stay here much longer! Look at all of these! We're super rich now!"

"Hmm? Hey, hey! It seems that they are leaving already!" one of the Shandian's that was carrying the pole gasped.

"Wait! Hey! Stop right there!" another yelled.

"Shit! We've been found out!" Sanji spun around, ready to run as well.

"RUN AWAY!" Luffy yelled, well ahead of us.

"Wait! All of you!" the Shandian's yelled.

"Wait? Are you trying to command us!" Usopp stood in front of them.

"Yeah, tell them who we are Usopp!" Luffy cheered. They were having way too much fun with this.

"We took a gamble with our lives to reach Sky Island! We fought hard to find this Golden City! So we won't leave empty-handed! We will take all this gold as our loot!" Usopp claimed, posing.

"Robin! Mamori! Hurry up and don't caught by them!" Sanji called to us.

"Caught by us? But we're just trying to give them our thank you gift…" The Shandians were confused. "Hey! Don't you want this gold as a gift from us!"

"Haha!" Robin laughed. "It seems that they don't want it."

"EEEHHHH! BUT WHY!"

Robin didn't answer, instead she took off running towards our friends. I was right on her heels, my heart sinking at the thought of leaving Amaya, whom I had grown close to.

"RUN AWAY!" Luffy ordered again.

"PLEASE WAIT!" the Shandian's yelled.

"MAMORI!" I skidded to a stop as soon as I heard the voice yelling for me. I froze, flinching as I looked back and met the eyes of my new friend. I blinked owlishly when I saw that she was smirking at me, she wasn't sad. "Promise me! One day you'll come back here, as a human, and have a drink with me! Do you promise?"

'_I promise!_' I yipped. My heart lifted at the thought of seeing her again. This wasn't a sad farewell, not if we'd meet again another day.

I jumped forward, running again with my friends. I may be leaving friends behind, but it was not forever. I lifted my head up to the sky as I was running, taking a deep breath. When my lungs were filled with air, I slowly let it out as a howl that echoed eerily around the ruins.

"ARRROOOOOOOOOOO!"

Even after I had stopped, the sound still rung around us as it bounce off rocks. I almost stumbled and face-planted it when I heard another howl join mine. It wasn't a proper howl, it was an imitation.

"ARRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I glanced back to see Amaya with her hands around her mouth, howling back at me. It was the funniest thing I'd seen in a while. No wonder we got along so well, we were both completely crazy. I joined in with her again as I ran so that we were both howling at the same time.

"ARRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O!"

* * *

><p>Enel:<p>

Kari- Literally "Electric Light." Kari is the Malayan thunder god and keeps it's name in the Viz Manga as "Kari Krash."

30,000,000 Volt Hino- "Thunder Bird." Hino is the Iroquois (a Native American tribe) god of thunder. Called "Hino Bird Zap" in Viz Manga.

Kiten- Literally "Lightning Beast." Kiten is an Asian thunder god. Called "Lighting Beast Kiten" in Viz Manga.

Luffy:

Gomu Gomu no Fūsen- Come on, you know this one. ... Gum Gum Balloon.

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	44. Going Down

**Here is the next chapter~ We're into the Foxy Arc now. Enjoy! **

**Oh, and thank you to all my reviewers! You're awesome. **

* * *

><p>"GOLD! GOLD! GOLD! WE GOT GOLD"<p>

"We're rich, what should we buy!" Luffy cheered, dancing around the pile of gold on the ship's deck. "How about a giant statue?"

"Idiot!" Usopp scolded. "That's a waste! We should by cannons!"

"Nami~ May I buy a refrigerator that has a lock on it? Please?" Sanji cooed at the Navigator.

"Oh! Me too! Me too! I want to buy something too! I want some medical books!" Chopper joined in with Sanji.

"I want rum," Zoro added.

'…_I don't want anything. I have all I need right on this ship_,' I chuckled to myself, perching on the railing as I watched all my friends.

"Hey, hey, hey! Quiet down. We will talk about our spending after we are back in the Blue Sea," Nami sighed. "Though no one is going to waste my money on trash!"

"Everyone, please look to the front! We are almost at the exit!" Conis called from over the side of the ship. I glanced down over the railing to see her waving at us from their own little ship. I then look up ahead of us, using to the railing to trot up to the bow of the ship.

"The Cloud's end… So we are going down from there."

"Aww," Luffy complained, slouching over the ship's figurehead. "We are leaving already?"

"Yeah, I am feeling a little bit nostalgic already," Sanji agreed.

"Yes, time to say goodbye to the White Sea," Zoro said, sitting next to me on the railing.

"Sky Island was fun, but it was kind of scary!" Chopper said, clinging to the railing on the other side of me.

"Do we just go through that tunnel?" Nami asked as we looked at the large gateway in front of us. It was like the entrance gate. "Then follow the Milky Way all the way down to the Blue Sea?"

"This is it," Pagaya confirmed, parking their boat and climbing off on the waft next to the gate. "This is as far as we can take you!"

"Take care of yourselves everyone!" Conis cried, running alongside the boat with her father.

"Thanks for taking us here!" Nami waved at her.

"Thanks for everything!" Usopp joined in.

"Conis~ Take care of yourself too!" Sanji cooed.

"Conis, Mister, take care!" Luffy yelled.

'_Bye guys! Thanks for all your help!_' I barked, throwing my head up in the air.

"Excuse me! You must put away your sail immediately!" Pagaya told us.

"Hey Everyone! Do as the man said!" Usopp ordered as they all moved down to the lower deck to get the sails ready. "We may fall down really fast!"

"Roger that! It'll probably be a 7000 meter runway, let's move!"

"Move all the gold inside the cabin!"

I stayed perched at the front of the ship, looking at the tunnel that was coming up in front of us. I couldn't help with the rigging, so the best I could do was watch for any signs of trouble.

"CHOH!" an angry voice squawked. "CHOH! CHOH!"

"Huh?"

"CHOH!" the bird landed on the deck, flapping its' wings in anger as it chirped. '_Don't forget me!_'

"He's saying 'Don't forget me here'," Chopper translated.

"Oh yeah…" Nami sweat-dropped. "We took him along with us on our way up… Alright Captain, it looks like the Log Pose has locked on to the next Island!"

"Okay!" Luffy clenched his fists before throwing his hands up in the air. "This is the start of a brand new adventure! Alright crew, let's go back to the Blue Sea!"

"YEAH!" everyone cheered at the same time.

"Everyone! Be careful, you are going to start falling soon!" Conis warned us.

"Did she say fall?"

Suddenly the clouds disappeared out from under the boat, leaving us floating on air. Everyone seemed to notice this at the same time, shocked looks coming over their faces, mine included. At the same time everyone ran to the back of the boat, reaching out for land as the boat started falling.

"WAAA!"

"Good luck!" Conis and Payaga waved.

Even with the wind whistling in my ears, I still heard the sound of an actual whistle echo over the area. Suddenly a giant octopus jumped out of the clouds near us, latching onto the boat with its tentacles.

"OH MY GOD! AN OCTOPUS!"

The boat was suddenly jerked to such a rough stop that everyone face-planted into the decking at the same time, heads smacking against floor boards. When everyone managed to push themselves back up, we all looked up to the octopus hovering above us, acting as a parachute to slow us down.

"Look! Look! This is so cool!" Luffy cried as he latched onto the railing and look at the octopus. "It's an Octoballoon!"

* * *

><p>The landing was a rough one, because our octopus friend suddenly decided to let go right before we hit the surface. The boat smacked roughly against the surface of water, sending us all sprawling against the hard deck yet again. As if that wasn't bad enough, the splash that the boat created caused us to become drenched in seawater. There were grunted sounds of pain all around me as we hit the deck.<p>

"Nami! Mamori! Robin! Are you okay?" Sanji called out.

"Heh… Heh…" Nami panted as everyone began to sit up. "That was scary, why did the octopus suddenly shrink?"

"What was that?" Zoro groaned, clutching his head that he had smacked against the deck.

'_Ouch… Damn bastard, a warning would have been nice!_' I grumbled, dragging myself up into a sitting position. '_Argh… I'm soaked now._'

"Maybe there was a leak?" Robin asked.

"Phew," Luffy laughed, grabbing the shrunken octopus off his chest. It seemed to have shrunk after it let go of the boat and then it landed on Luffy. "Thank to you we're still alive, thanks octopus!"

"The sea, it's blue!" Nami gasped.

"Well," Sanji sighed, lighting a cigarette, "that was one magical trip."

"Now that we are back down, that trip feels like a dream," Robin said, staring up at the sky.

"That's because it really was a dreamy place," Nami laughed.

"I wonder if we will ever go back again?" Chopper mumbled.

'_I sure will, I gotta see Amaya again one day!_' I yipped.

"Maybe you will go there after you die," Zoro teased Chopper. "Or somewhere close."

"Zoro… Are you sure that we'll go to heaven?" Usopp asked skeptically.

"Alright! Let's get going on our next adventure!" Luffy yelled out.

"Hey, Luffy, give us a break!" Usopp scowled.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Nami tsk'ed as she got up and walked up to the back decking of the ship. "If you can rest whenever you want in this sea, nobody would be afraid of it. Everyone, move it! Ah, see, here it comes!"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Chopper screamed and everyone was on their feet within seconds when we saw what Nami was talking about.

"FULL SPEED AHEAD! IT'S A TSUNAMI!" Usopp screamed, jumping into action with all the others.

"There are giant monsters in those waves! Look! Sea Monkeys!" someone else yelled as three monkey faces appeared in the wave.

'_GIVE US A FREAKIN' BREAK WILL YA!_' I jumped up and ran up the steps and over to Nami's side.

* * *

><p>"Told you so," Sanji laughed in the background as Usopp and I dragged Luffy back on board. We were both soaking wet again after having to go for a swim to save the idiot. Sometimes it was tempting to just let him drown.<p>

"I couldn't do it in the Sky Sea, I thought I could do it here…" Luffy grumbled as he flopped onto the deck.

'_You idiot! Of course you can't ride the waver here! Nothing has changed!_' I snarled angrily, water dripping off my fur and into the deck. I just got dry dammit!

"Like I said, only Nami can do it regardless which sea it is," Usopp said, draping himself over the railing so he could watch Nami scoot around on the waver.

"Nami~ Nami~ Go~" Sanji cooed.

"Yes! It works in the Blue Sea too!" Nami exclaimed happily.

* * *

><p>"Alright, thank you for waiting! Now we will officially start distributing the loot! Each of these is worth a lot of money," Nami said, gesturing to the gold in front of her.<p>

"Yay!" Usopp cheered, whistling.

"Hurray! Let's buy a statue! I want a statue!" Luffy called out.

"Can I buy books?" Chopper gasped.

"Now pots, new pans, new silverware, and a few mouse traps…" Sanji muttered to himself.

"Time for some rum!" Zoro grinned.

Robin and I were the only ones that were silent, not really caring. I had no use for gold.

"First thing first, my share is 80% of this," Nami said, smiling calmly.

"Hold on!" everyone protested.

"I was just kidding!" she laughed.

"You'd better be!" Usopp snapped. "You have to share equally."

"We need some of this money to repair the ship," Nami pointed out.

"Repair the ship?" Luffy asked. "Going Merry?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "The ship is barely holding together right now."

"That's true," Usopp agreed.

While this discussion was going on, everyone had seated themselves around the table in the main cabin, and Sanji had moved off to cook something for us. I wandered over to the side of the room, laying against the wall with my head on my paws.

"Let's do a super upgrade for Going Merry!" Luffy declared.

"Agree!" Usopp cheered.

"We don't know how much it will cost, so we'll distribute the loots later," Nami said, picking up the glass one of the cups of tea that Sanji had placed on the table.

"We can't really rely on Usopp to fix everything," Zoro pointed out. "His repair skills are quite limited."

"I'm a sniper. S-N-I-P-E-R," Usopp spelled out.

"Hm, let's go to a shipyard," Sanji suggested, placing some sandwiches on the table. "A professional one, and get everything fixed up."

"Eh? There are people who can fix the ship better than Usopp can?" Chopper gasped, stuffing a sandwich into his mouth.

Sanji walked over to me, smiling at me while he placed a small plate of sandwiches in front of me. I flashed him a smile back, carefully picking one up in my mouth as I munched silently on it, half paying attention to the current conversation.

"Come to think of it, the ship has been sailing without major repair ever since we left my village," Usopp said, munching on his own sandwich. "We should really have it look at, big time. Otherwise we may sink before we know it."

"Okay, I've decided!" Luffy called out. "Our new crew member will be a shipwright! If our journey is to continue, we will need such a person. Going Merry is our home, it's our lifeline! We need to find someone who can keep it in good shape. "

Silence echoed around the ship as everyone stared at Luffy in disbelief for a few seconds. He'd actually said something that sounded smart for once…

"Did he just…" Sanji trailed off.

"Yes, he did just say those intelligent things," Usopp confirmed. "Alright, it's decided then!"

"Yup, it's decided!" Luffy agreed again.

"Hopefully we will find someone like that soon," Zoro said.

"Oh, we also need a musician by the way!" Luffy called out suddenly.

"How about we do that later…" Nami sweat-dropped.

"EH!?"

* * *

><p>"RUN AWAY! IT'S THE SEA MONKEYS AGAIN!" someone yelled, waking me up from nap. Within seconds I was on my feet, glancing around the deck in confusion until I saw the giant sea monkeys over the side of the ship, again. They were back.<p>

"There's no wind!"

"Pull up the sail! We'll use the paddles!" Nami ordered as everyone ran around the deck, doing their own jobs.

I trotted up to the front of the boat, standing next to Nami yet again while the guys got the paddles out and started to sail away.

"Emergency! Emergency!" Usopp yelled from up in the crow's nest. "Another ship at 12 o'clock!"

"Eh? Enemies?" Luffy asked as I wandered over the railing, jumping up to size up the ship.

"No, that ship… There is no flag and not even a sail! What kind of ship is that?" Usopp called back.

'_He's right…'_ I noted. _'What is up with that ship? A trap?'_

"Huh? They don't have anything! Why are they on the sea!" Luffy yelped.

"I don't know, but the sailors look kind of strange! They all just sit there and look disheartened! It's like they all got killed spiritually!"

"What the heck! Can that ship make it?" Luffy asked, referring to the giant wave the Sea Monkeys had stirred up. If they didn't move their butts then they would be smashed by the wave. As we got closer to the ship Luffy ran over to the side of the boat and yelled at the other ship, "Hey! You guys, the wave and sea monkeys are coming! Turn around!"

"Ah… It's a ship! A pirate ship!" One of them gasped when they noticed us. "Everyone get up! It's an enemy ship! Let's rob their treasure!"

"It's a giant wave! We have to dodge it!" someone else from the ship called out.

"We can't let the enemy get away!"

"Fire the cannon!"

"You can't command me!"

"Hurry up!"

"Turn the ship around!"

"You have to know your place!"

"That ship's crew lacks discipline…" Luffy noted as he continued to row away from the giant wave that was coming after us.

"They said they want to rob us, let's just ignore them," Sanji pointed out.

'_But isn't that just a bit cruel…_' I mumbled, watching quietly as the crew in the other ship continued to disagree. '_Who is the captain there? Shouldn't he be ordering the crew…?'_

"Where's the sail!"

"How the hell should I know!"

"Where's the navigator!"

"I don't know!"

"Captain!"

"He's not here!"

"We're doomed!"

"Shit! You are all useless!"

"So are you!"

"You can't even dodge a fricking wave!"

We all watched in shock as they waved crashed over the fighting ship, smashing it under the water with the Sea monkeys to pull it down. Now that they had a ship, they dove under the ocean and left us alone.

* * *

><p>"Phew, it's over," Usopp sighed once we were safely a long distance away from where we last saw the sea monkeys. The wind had picked up again, so the guys had put away the paddles and put the sails back down.<p>

"The temperature and humidity are stabilizing… Are we near the next island?" Nami muttered before looking up at Robin who had switched places with Usopp in the crow nest. "Hey, Robin, do you see anything?"

"Yes, a while ago," she admitted.

"What! Why didn't you say so earlier!" Usopp and Luffy snapped at her and I snickered silently to myself. I swear, Robin just liked seeing their reactions.

"You are on watch, so when you see and island, you're supposed to say," Usopp lectured.

"YOU GUYS~ I SEE AN ISLAND! LAND HO!" Luffy called out, trying to teach Robin.

"Now you do it!" Usopp encouraged her.

"There is a heavy fog," Robin said, ignoring them.

"A fog?" Nami asked. "There may be danger, Chopper, Mamori, go watch the front!"

"Yes sir!" Chopper said.

'_I got it,_' I nodded, padding up the front of the boat with Chopper behind me.

* * *

><p>"We're there!"<p>

The ship finally came out of the mist and in front of us laid a barren, flat island. The only thing in site was tall trees and grass.

"So big! So empty!" Luffy gasped in excitement. "It's an endless plain!"

"It's plain alright, there is nothing to see," Sanji sighed.

"I wonder if it is inhabited," Robin mumbled.

'_Probably, a place this nice wouldn't be left alone for long unless there was a major problem.' _I hummed.

"Yahoo! A giant plain!" Luffy cheered, launching himself off the boat and taking Usopp and Chopper with him.

"Hold it!" Nami screamed but they ignored her. "We still don't know anything about this place and they…"

"This place is so empty, there shouldn't be any danger," Zoro pointed out, dropping the anchor over the side of the boat.

* * *

><p>"Who are you people?" Zoro asked darkly with a glare.<p>

A large ship had pulled up behind Merry, the giant paws from the figurehead extended and latched onto the land either side of Merry so we couldn't move the boat. Robin, Nami, Sanji, Zoro, and I were all on land, glaring at the Fox figure head of the large ship.

"Come on down and fight!" Sanji challenged.

'_What the fuck is this?_' I bristled, hovering in front of Robin and Nami.

"What do you want from us?" Nami gasped in worry.

"Blocking the front and the back of ship…" Zoro muttered. "COME OUT COWARDS!"

"We are the Foxy Pirates!" a voice called from the ship. "Don't be so anxious! Our duel shall begin shortly."

* * *

><p>"Davy Back Fight?" Nami asked, curious after they had explained to us what they wanted.<p>

"Yes, the game begins when the captains from both ships agree to it," a crew member from ship explained. "Our captain is proposing the game to your captain as we speak."

"Proposing? Why bother? We never turn down a fight anyways," Zoro said in annoyance.

'_Zoro!_' I snapped, sending him a dirty look.

"Have you never heard of it before?" Sanji asked Zoro. "This isn't just a fight. A Davy Back Fight is a gambling game between pirates."

"That is correct," Robin agreed. "According to legend, the game was invented a long time ago in the Pirate's Paradise Island. Many pirate groups have been using it to acquire good crews. It's the way pirate groups fight over pirates."

"Groups fighting over pirates?" Nami questioned. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who didn't get it.

"Yes," Robin confirmed.

"You didn't even know that and you call yourself a pirate?" one of the men on the ship taunted. "Davy Back Fight is a contest for human resources! The format we use is a 3-coin rules. That means 3 rounds per game! The victor of each game may pick one crew from the loser's team. The chosen crew member must sweat loyalty to the winning captain. He will do so in the name of the great Davy Jones!"

"If you lose the game, you lose your friend?" Nami gasped.

"That's right!"

'_There is no way Luffy would agree to that game!_' I growled.

"Lastly, if there is no desirable crew left in the losing team, the winner may choose to take the loser's pirate flag," the Foxy pirate finished explaining.

"In this game you offer up your friends and your pride. I you win, you grow stronger. If you lose, you can fall and never get back up again," Sanji summarized it. "It's a very dangerous game."

"So that other ship… The one we saw on the way here. It had no sail…" Nami mumbled. "Nor was there a captain."

"Oh, you must mean the Fanged Toad pirates! They were looser of previous games! Look at the new crew we got!" he gestured to some of the guys around him.

"I won't deny it, I was captain of the Toads!" one of the men called out.

"I was the doctor."

"I was the navigator."

"I was the ship mechanic."

"They played the 3-coins and lost five time, so we took four crew members and their flag!" he laughed. We literally stripped them of everything they had! Hahah!"

"That's so foolish and meaningless!" Nami yelled. "We will never play such a game!"

"Idiot, it doesn't matter if a crew like you rejects," the Foxy Pirate snapped. "The game will proceed as long as both captains from both sides agree to it. You can cry, you can scream, but as soon as your captain, Monkey D. Luffy, nods his head, you will become the ante of the gamble."

"It can't be helped Nami," Sanji tried to calm her down. "This is the law of the sea. No matter how foolish it sounds. If you run away or play tricks, you will become the laughingstock of everyone in the world."

"So? Let them laugh! Who cares!" Nami protested.

"I do," Zoro said. "I would rather die."

"Me too," Sanji agreed.

'_Pirates have pride though… But would Luffy really agree to this?' _I fidgeted with my paws.

"What the heck is wrong with you!" Nami screamed at them.

"Give it a rest," Robin interrupted. "Men are always like that."

"Fine!" she snapped. "Then we have to stop Luffy now! Mamori help me!"

"You're too late!" the Foxy pirate laughed. "When the captains fire their guns one after another, the game starts. It should happen any moment now."

**BANG**

**BANG**

"That means!" Nami gasped clutching her head.

'…_Fantastic,_' I sighed, glaring at the Foxy pirates.

"He accepted it," Sanji said.

"Perfect," Zoro smirked.

"Interesting," Robin laughed.

"Challenge accepted!" cried Foxy's crew.

* * *

><p>"Alright!" a female from Foxy's crew called out over the microphone. This whole thing has quickly turned into some sort of celebration, with food stalls, a main stage and everything in-between. "Scums, be quiet! I will now state the rules of the game!"<p>

"Yay! Porche!" Foxy's crew whistled and called out for the woman standing on the stage. It seemed that she was popular.

"Rule number one, he crews and flags lost in a Davy Back Fight can only be reacquired through another Davy Back Fight. Rule number 2, the person chosen in the endgame must swear loyalty to the winning team immediately! Rule number 3, the pirate flag that is taken away may never be used again!"

"Why do you all act like this is no big deal?" Nami moaned, sitting on a crate and clutching her head between her hands.

"Stop mumbling, Nami," Zoro scolded her.

'_People… So many people_,' I hissed to myself, glancing around nervously.

"Anyone who disgraces any of the rules will be sacrificed to Davy Jones! Do you swear to honour these rules?" Porch called out.

"I do," Foxy agreed.

"I swear!" Luffy said, stuffing his face with some food he had gotten from one of the stalls.

"YEAHHHHH!" the crowd cheered and I flinched at the loud noise, closing my eyes.

"See these coins?" Foxy asked after the noise he calmed down. Foxy threw the coins up into the air and called, "I am reporting to the great Davy Jones that this official game under the 3-coin rule will commence now!"

"Who's Davy Jones?" Chopper asked innocently.

"He is a cursed pirate from ancient time that lives under the sea," Robin, the ball of knowledge, answered Chopper.

"He lives under the sea?" Chopper gasped.

"It's a legend. He also takes all the ships and treasure that sink to the sea floor," she smiled.

"It must be a scary place under the sea!" Chopper said.

'_Chopper, if you ever get to the bottom of the sea, you'll probably be long dead. You can't hold your breath that long_,' I tried to comfort him and judging by the look of horror that came over his face, I'd said the wrong thing.

"Davy takes whatever he likes from the sea…" Sanji muttered. "Just like how the winner takes what he likes from the loser. So they names the game "Davy Back Fight"."

"Hey!" One of Foxy's crew walked up to us. "You know the rest of the rules, right? Exactly 8 people from each team will participate in the game. Each person may play no more than one round. You may not change the grouping once the game starts, but you may have one reserve in the case that one of your participants are unable to play. The reserve may only play one game and cannot play in the final game between the captains."

"I knew that," Sanji snorted. "Get out of here."

"Damn you!" Usopp snarled, digging his fist into the side of Luffy's face.

"It's all your fault!" Nami dug her fist into the other side of his face.

"Guys! All we need to do is win!" Luffy protested. "When we win, we can get a ship repairman too!"

"Why would we want someone from that kind of pirate group!" Usopp yelled.

"The games are racing, sports, and combat," Zoro read off of a sheet of paper he had been given. "I'll take combat."

"What!" Luffy protested. No! I want to fight!"

"No!" Sanji butted in. "Let me! My legs are itchy already!"

"It's decided then," Robin laughed. "I'll turn in our listing."

In the end Usopp, Nami and a Robin were going in round one, the Donut Race. Round two, the Groggy Ring was Sanji, Chopper and Zoro. Round three, combat, was Luffy. I was acting as the reserve.

* * *

><p>"First up, it's the obstacle course around the isle, Donut Race!" the announcer called out over his microphone whistle flying in the air on his bird. "You are given 2 oars and 3 barrels to make your canoe. You are disqualified if you use extra materials. It all depends on the shipwrights skills! Now, for the self-introduction, I am the party captain of the Foxy pirates, Itomimizu! I will broadcast from the reach from my super sparrow of the South Sea, Chuchun!" Itomimizu flew over the water where the contestants were already in the boats on the water. "Now, introducing the Straw Hat team. They're Nami, the Navigator, Usopp, the Sniper, and Nice Robin, the Archaeologist! The boat they will use is called 'Barrel Tiger'!"<p>

"This won't sink, will it?" Nami asked Usopp.

"I told you I'm not a shipwright!" Usopp snapped back at her.

"It'll probably sink," Robin shrugged.

"Hey! That orange girl is cute!" one of the men from the shoreline near us called out. My head snapped around, eyes narrowing.

"I want to play with that dark haired chick!" another joined in the teasing.

'_Oh hell NO!_' I growled, slipping away from Luffy and the others as I made my ways towards the way that the voices came from, weaving in-between the legs of Foxy's crew. I completely tuned out the announcer in the background.

"Of course we won't even consider that male!" one of the pirates laughed.

I stepped in front of the laughing group, a growl bursting forth from the chest. The three that had been so loud suddenly went quiet, look at me.

'_Would you like to repeat that?_' I purred, quirking an eyebrow at the confused pirates.

"Hey, isn't that the dog from the Straw Hat pirate's crew?" the one that been eyeing Nami asked.

"Haha, sorry, we don't play with dogs! Go get someone else to go throw a stick for you!" Robin's admirer laughed.

'_GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU PIG!_' I screamed in rage, jumping towards them with an ear splitting howl of rage.

All three of the men cried out in shock and tried to scramble back out of my way but they all ended up on their asses on the ground. Before I could pounce on them, something grabbed the back of my bandana, dragging me away from them with a strong hand. I looked at the person who was holding me up in the air and walking away, only to see Zoro with a nonchalant expression.

"Wait until the games start," he sighed, dropping me roughly on the ground once we were far enough away.

'_Hmph!_' I snorted, following after him with an annoyed swish of my tail.

* * *

><p>"And now, what we are all waiting for!" Itomimizu called out as everyone gathered on the shore near the start line. "The winner will be greeted by celebration and the looser by the deep cold sea. It's the Davy Back Fight! The first race, the Donut Race, is about to begin! Both sides are waiting behind the starting line. It's very simple, just go around the island once. Oh, by the way, guns, cannons, and swords… Any weapon is allowed. If you don't like it, then you don't deserve to be a pirate."<p>

'_Mamori,_' An echoey voice that wasn't my own or Chopper's called to me. I jerked my head around in confusion, not seeing anyone that looked to be talking to me.

"What kind of boat race is this?" Zoro sighed.

'_A bad one_,' I snorted, still slightly peeved about him dragging me off earlier.

"I'm warning you, Usopp! If any of the ladies get hurt, I'll slice you into pieces and feed you to the fishes!" Sanji yelled at Usopp.

"Don't lose! Usopp! Nami! Robin!" Luffy encouraged them… In his own way.

"I'm so excited!" Chopper gasped.

'_Mamori._' The voice came again, but more insistent this time. I tried to ignore it, thinking it a figment of my imagination.

"Racers, catch!" Itomimizu called, dropping something towards the two boats. "Use these Eternal Log Posts so you don't get lost! Remember not to go too far away from the island, be safe and good luck! Everyone! Ready! DONUT!"

'_Dammit! Don't ignore, you bitch!_' the voice in my head snapped so loudly that the sound bounced around inside my head.

'_EXCUSE ME, ASSHOLE_!' I snapped back mentally, without thinking and then suddenly everything went black. My sense of touch, sight, smell, hearing, and taste disappeared. I thought I'd passed out for a few seconds, but I was still mentally conscious of everything that was going on. I was floating a world of black. '_Oops… That wasn't meant to happen._'

'_Well, actually, that was meant to happen_,' the voice laughed.

'_Whoa! What the fuck! Who are you? Where are you?_' the questions tumbled about before I could stop them.

'_You've forgotten me already?_' Cue a sigh before continuing in a mocking tone. '_And here I have been thinking about you almost every day._'

'_Yeah, because that isn't creepy or anything dude_.' The constant black and the annoying voice were starting to get to me. '_Seriously, where am I and what is going on? And who are you_!'

'_I thought you were smart. It seems I've overestimated you_,' it snorted.

'_That snide voice… Oh Gods. It's you, isn't it?_' My question was met by laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	45. Team Work

**Just early warning - I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out. For those of you who have been following me for a long time, you may remember when I had a knee operation. Well, it's time for the next one to be done so I'll be in hospital for a few days and I won't be able to get to the computer. I can't tell how long it'll be though, it depends how I feel after waking up. It varies from person to person and last time I had the other knee done, I had to stay there for an extra day due to how I felt. Fingers crossed that won't happen again. That's happening around next weekend, which is usually about when I post chapters. My apologies if this inconviences anyone, I'll try to get things back to normal as soon as I can. **

**I like your shoelaces.**

* * *

><p>'<em>It really is you, isn't it, Ikol!<em>' I snapped, my anger rising. '_You, fucking, bastard! Where am I! What have you done! Oh, yeah, that's right. Now that I can talk to you, I have a lot of questions that I want to ask. Let's see you worm your way out of it this time! Now you listen here you fuc_-'

**POP**

In a second I went from darkness to a sudden overload of green and freshness around me. I swayed on my feet for a second before shaking my head to try and gain my balance back.

"You honestly don't know how to shut up, do you? I was going to do it the easy way and let you reply civilly, but if you're going to act like that and run your mouth off, we are going to do it the hard way," Ikol grumbled.

'_You…_' I snarled, my eyes snapping open to glare him as my tail swished behind me. Ikol looked exactly the same as the last time I saw him. He still had short black hair and silver eyes. My eyes then trail behind him to the scenery that surrounded us. We were in a forest, again. But this one seemed different from the last. Everything was way too green, and there were no sounds of life around us. No sounds of insects or animals. There was no wind and I couldn't feel the heat from the sun on my fur either. '_Damn it! And damn you too!'_

"Now, I'd like to talk to you without rude interruptions this time." Ikol reached up to run his hand through his hair. "Oh, and as to where we are, I'll answer that question. We are here. But we are also there. Mentally, we are both here. Physically you are back at that island. This, all that you see around us, is an illusion. It's pretty, no?"

'_Illusion? How could you do that?_'

"Take a seat," Ikol said, waving his arm in a sweeping gesture. He then proceeded to drop his ass straight in the ground from where he was standing, crossing his legs as he leant forward to place his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "Well."

'…' Silently I lowered myself to the ground in a laying position, placing my head on my paws as I stared skeptically at him. '_Just what are you Ikol…_'

"So, anyway, I didn't call you here for a garden party obviously. As lovely as I am sure you are, your company wouldn't be right for such an occasion. I would have come to you in person, but it would have upset those little friends of yours. They don't seem to like me very much. What a harsh judgment," he sighed.

'_Harsh judgment? You tried to kill me and then you went and told them. How is that harsh?_' I quirked my eyebrow.

"What I wanted to talk you about was Devil Fruit users. I've seen that you've taken my last advice into mind when you are fighting, but you're still not anywhere near good enough." His silver eyes bored straight into my blue ones that flickered angrily at his criticism.

'_Not this bullshit!_' I snapped, my head shooting up off my paws. '_You think I'm going to sit here and let you tell me what I've done wrong? Like hell! I know where I've messed up! I'm well aware! I freaked out in that fight with Enel because I had no way to fight him! I've thought it through a million times and it won't happen again. I need to keep a cool mind in a fight._'

"You, being a normal fighter, don't have much chance against Devil Fruit users. Enel is a great example, isn't it?" he asked calmly, although I could hear the jab at my pride under the façade.

'_What do you care!_' My eyes narrowed.

"You fight short range and with only a knife. Oh, and your teeth. But most Devil Fruit users will have the advantage physically over you. Get used to it, life is a total bitch - I've met her. If life was easy, there would be no point. If they are stronger physically, you need to be stronger mentally. Use your brain! Last I checked you had one, although I had to check before I could make such an assumption. Use the damn thing would you? Devil Fruit users are not invincible - they just have stronger physical strength or abilities. Well, most of the fighters anyway. What you need to do if make use of their weakness. Enel was a lightning user and what is lightning weak against? Rubber. Think next time. Figure out their weakness. It goes back to the basic elements of things most time. What is fire weak against? Water. What is water weak against? Ice. What is ice weak against? Fire. What can get rid of wax? Fire. What can penetrate rubber? Sharp objects."

I slowly lowered my head back onto my paws as I listened to him, reluctantly taking in his advice.

"Then there are also the Zoan users, most of them take on the form of normal animals. They'll have teeth, claws, beaks, horns, and other stuff like that. But guess what? You have those things too! Use them!" He took his head out of his hands and dropped them into his lap. "Understand? As you get further along, you'll run into more and more Devil Fruit users. Get used to it. When they start getting stronger, then you can learn about Haki. But that is a topic for another day."

'_Haki?_' My ears twitched the moment he mentioned the foreign word.

"Anyway, that's all I have to say. Any questions? No? Good." He didn't even give me a chance to reply. "End of that conversation."

Silence echoed over the area once he was finish talking, and we stared silently at each other. He seemed to be thinking about something.

"…You really are thick sometimes. I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet. Or even guessed close to the real answer," he sighed, rubbing the side of his face with his hand as he broke eye contact and looked up into the sky. "Although, that is probably better as of now."

'_What? That makes no sense… What was I meant to figure out?_'

"Anyhow, that's all I have to say to you, so it's goodbye now."

'_Wait! I still haven't got my answers! Hey, liste-_'

**POP**

My eyes shot up and I jumped straight to my feet, my head snapping around to try and find the slippery bastard. The sudden motion made my vision spin, my legs shaking under me for a second as they threatened to dump me back on the ground.

"Ah! Mamori! You're awake! Thank goodness! I was worried!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Mamori! My princess! You're okay!" Sanji cooed and I side-stepped his lunge, letting him grasp at air.

I glanced his direction and noticed the rest of the guys sitting and standing right near me. No sign of Ikol. The race must be finished, and judging by the look on the others' faces, we lost.

'_What happened?_' I questioned.

"You passed out all of a sudden when the race started!" he exclaimed.

'_No, with the race_,' I corrected him.

"Oh…" he mumbled.

"What the hell happened?" Luffy echoed my question, hands on his hips.

"Why are you asking us?" Nami grumbled.

"We're the ones who want to know!" Usopp exclaimed. "Why did we lose at the last moment?"

"I thought you were going to win but you suddenly slowed down and they passed you," Luffy shrugged.

"Hehehe!" Foxy laughed, walking towards us. "There's nothing strange about that! It was caused by my Schlep Photons."

"Oi! You bastard!" Sanji snapped. "What did you do to Nami's team?"

"Schlep Photons?" Luffy echoed.

"They are particles that have yet to be understood by modern science." His fingers lit up as he was talking. "Anything this light touches, be it an animal, liquid, or solid, it will retain all of its energy, but physically lose a constant amount of velocity."

"The makes no sense!" Luffy protested. "Are you an idiot?"

'_No, it makes sense. If that thing hits you, you slow down_,' I mumbled to myself.

"He ridiculed me," Foxy gasped, falling to the ground.

"But something that stupid…" Nami mumbled.

"Impossible? Is that what you think?" Foxy straightened back up, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think you already know that kind of naïve thinking doesn't work on this sea! Everything it touches slows down. That is the power of the Schlep Photons."

"Why didn't you just say so!" Luffy protested.

"I ate the Noro Noro Fruit and gained the ability to emit them from my body. I am a Schlepman!"

'_Hmmm_,' I hummed to myself in a distracted manner as what Ikol had said slowly came back me. '_Weakness. Weakness. Well, he makes things slow. Would that reflect off a mirror? A knife blade? Or is the beam too wide? If he can't hit us, then it can't affect us… Hmm_.'

* * *

><p>"The first event is over!" Itomimizu announced as everyone gather around the main stage. "And with no further ado, we shall commence the awarding of the prize. The winning captain will select one member of the other's crew!"<p>

"Hehehehe!" Foxy laughed, stepping up to the main stage. Everyone from our crew tensed, glaring at him as we all wondered who would be picked. Well, all but Zoro, who was drinking and not paying any attention at all to what was going on. "The first one I want is... You! The doctor, Tony Tony Chopper!"

"Me?" Chopper gasped.

'_Oh no, Chopper!_' I gasped, sending him a wide eyed look. Of all the crew it had to be Chopper, the youngest and most naïve…

Two of Foxy's crew came over to escort Chopper to the stage and when he refused, they picked him up between then and carried him to the stage.

"No, no, no! I don't wanna!" Chopper cried out, flailing.

I could feel my heart breaking as I had to hold myself back from mauling both of the bastards that dared to lay hands on Chopper, but that would insult the whole aim of the game. It would insult Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and the whole crew. It would shame us. Even though I knew that, Chopper's cries upset me. In the end I ended up following right behind the two dragging Chopper before the rest of the crew could stop me. I needed to calm Chopper down.

'_Chopper, listen to me! Chopper_!'

He ignored me and continued struggling as he was taken up to the stage and handed to Foxy who cuddle him like a toy. I sat at the bottom of the stage, glaring at Foxy.

"What a rare creature!" Foxy cooed, rubbing his face against Chopper's. "He's even softer than I imagined!"

"Ooh, let me feel him too!" Porche gasped, taking him from Foxy and cuddling him.

"He's so damn cute!" Foxy yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "You're ours now!"

"Chopper!" Luffy called from the background.

'_Chopper, hey, Chopper, listen to me!_' I couldn't get his attention, he was panicking too much.

"Guys…" Chopper cried, tears in his eyes as he was set on a chair.

"Oi, oi, Dr. Chopper." Foxy stepped up in front of him. "You're our ship's doctor now. You must swear loyalty to me. Now, don the mask."

Foxy reached forward, placing the Foxy crew's mask on his face.

"Guys!" Chopper sobbed.

'_Chopper, listen to me, you need to calm down!_' I begged him, my ears flattening back against my skull. It was only at this point, seeing Chopper like this, that I realized how much I saw him like my little brother. They almost identical in personalities. Somewhere along the line Chopper had shifted from being someone that was like my brother, to someone that I actually considered to be my brother. I would give my life for him in a heartbeat. All I wanted to do was protect him, no matter what it cost. So, seeing him like this and in this situation was killing me.

"Sorry, Chopper!" Usopp cried on the background. "It's our fault for losing! Shit!"

"Hehehe! This is truly a sight!" Foxy laughed.

"Having a talking reindeer is so delightful!" Porche cooed.

"We'll get along great!" another of Foxy's crew commented, patting Chopper's head.

"Welcome aboard, crewmate!" yet another greeted.

"GUYS!" Chopper screamed. "I went out to sea because of you! No! I refuse! Luffy! I went out to sea because Luffy asked me to! I won't go with these guys! I won't! I'm the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates! NO!"

'_CHOPPER, LISTEN TO ME!_' I snapped with a growl at the same time Zoro slammed his bottle down on the ground with enough force to shut everyone up.

"That's enough of your bellyaching, Chopper!" Zoro scolded. "It's shameful! Going out to sea was your decision. The place and time you die will be your decision too. No one can change that! We accepted this game! Usopp's team did everything they could." Zoro stood up. "In a world of pirates, no one will sympathise with those tears. As a man you're going to suck it up and watch the rest of the events!"

"How can you say that!" Nami snapped. "Don't you know how he feels?"

'_Chopper, Zoro is right_,' I said, gaining his attention finally as I braced my front paws on the edge of the stage. '_We haven't lost yet. We won't lose anymore! You're coming back with us! We will win you back, just you wait! You trust us, don't you? Leave this to us. I promise that I will do all I can to get you back! Believe in us! Please!_'

Chopper wiped away his tears and cleared his face of emotion before crossing his arms over his chest and declaring, "Boil me or cook me! Give me you worst!"

"YEAH!" the crowd cheered, whistling, and celebrating.

'_Good boy, Chopper,_' I cooed in a soft voice, tilting my head to the side as I sent him a soft smile. '_Nothing will happen to you – I won't let it. Behave yourself, okay?_'

"Mhmm!" Chopper nodded, looking at me with innocent eyes that didn't match his determined face.

"Let's get on with the second event," Zoro said, walking towards the field.

"I couldn't agree more, there are two events left. We're taking our emergency food supply back." Sanji lit his cigarette.

"The deal is complete!" Itomimizu announced. "The Davy Back Fight is building up steam."

"Wait, Chopper was supposed to be on the on the next team. But he got taken…" Usopp pointed out.

"Indeed," Robin commented.

* * *

><p>"Going against out undefeated Groggy Monsters, they are; the one who eliminated out interference group with one violent kick, the "Violent Chef"!" Itomimizu called out as the next event got under way.<p>

"It's "5-Star Chef"," Sanji grumbled, his hands in his pockets.

"His partner is the Pirate Hunter that has a bounty of 60 million, Roronoa Zoro!" the announcer continued.

'_Partner_,' I snickered quietly to myself, glancing off to the side as Zoro shot me a glare.

"And the reserve, their pet dog, Mamori!"

I twitched.

"Pet!" Sanji protested loudly. "Mamori is not a pet, she is a beaut-"

I cut him off by throwing my head into the back of his knee, shutting him up for a few seconds. I sent him a glare as he looked down at me, shaking my head as I did so.

"Since the Captain specifically appointed us to the game, I thought out opponents would be tougher than this. Right, Big Pan?" the second largest of our three opponents asked.

I frowned unhappily as I sized up the three we were competing against. Two of them looked like monkeys and one looked like a fish. Oh, and they were freaking huge. Like, massive. The smallest of the three was twice Sanji and Zoro's size. The second biggest was twice that size and the third biggest was three times the size of the second biggest.

'_I feel like an ant…_' I sighed when I noticed that I was the smallest on the field by a long shot.

"…Huh?" the biggest of the three, Big Pan, muttered.

"Pufufufu! He didn't hear it! Fufufu!" The smallest laughed, covering his mouth.

"What are they doing?" Sanji muttered.

The coin was flipped, as was customary when starting most sports games, and the winner of the toss was the other side.

"Do you want to ball first or choose the ring?" the ref asked.

"Ball," the small one answered, stepping up to be leader of their team.

"Our Groggy Monsters choose to ball first!" Itomimizu announced. "The ball of the team Straw Hat will now go to the centre of the opponent's side. May I remind you that the ball seal marks the two balls in the game! If you hit the opponent's ball into the enemy life buoy, you win!"

"You, ball guy. Go stand there!" Zoro ordered, jerking his thumb.

"Shut up!" Sanji snapped back, pointing to the ball that was strapped on his head. "You decided it by yourself! I never said I wanted to be the ball! Plus, how can I wear this lame thing on my handsome head?"

"You're annoying," Zoro commented before snapping his head around in mock surprise. "Wow, Sanji! You look so handsome with that thing!"

I chocked and started coughing, not expecting anything like that to ever come out of Zoro's mouth, joking or not.

"UP YOURS!" Was the reply. "I AM NOT FALLING FOR THAT!"

"Would you rather Mamori wear the ball?" Zoro asked, knowing what his reply would be.

"NO! I couldn't put my princess in any danger!" he argued back.

"ZORO! SANJI! MAMORI! GO KICK THEIR ASS!" Luffy yelled from the side line, interrupting the fighting.

"You have to win Chopper back!" Usopp sobbed. "I'm sorry I lost because I am useless!"

'_Yeah, yeah, we know, we're working on it_,' I sighed, my tail swishing behind me.

"How about 'Rock Paper Scissors'!" Sanji suggested, glaring at Zoro.

"Tch, fine!" he agreed.

'_Really?_' I grumbled as they lined up and started playing Rock Paper Scissors. '_You guys sure are mature. I'll take the flippin' ball if neither of you want it!_'

Zoro pulled paper and Sanji pulled rock, meaning Zoro won the round.

"YOU CAME OUT SLOW, CHEATER!" Sanji disputed.

"Impossible! I won fair and square!" Zoro protested. "I'm just stronger in everything!"

"Shut the hell up! I'm talking about 'Rock Paper Scissors'!" Sanji continued to argue.

"Pufufufu!" the smallest of the other three laughed, covering his mouth again. "They can't decide on anything."

'_No, it's not that, they just like arguing,_' I grumbled as I watched the two argue back and forth. I was _trying _to stay calm.

"Are you done yet! Decide already!" the second biggest snapped.

"Sanji, you look so awesome with that hat!" Nami cooed in the background.

"Like I was saying, there is no better man to be the ball in our group!" Sanji yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Yup. You look like the prince," Zoro agreed, "of idiots."

I had to stumble back out of the way as Sanji sent a flying kick at Zoro who blocked in with his swords.

'_KNOCK IT OFF!_' I screamed, growling at both of them.

"START THE GAME ALREADY!" Usopp yelled from the sideline.

"Hey, you!" The ref called out, pointing at Zoro. "It's against the rules to use weapons! Put them away."

"That's right. This is a competition of balling skills. No weapons allowed," Itomimizu the announcer agreed.

"Eh, really?" Zoro mumbled. "Fine. No weapons. Haha. Not like it matters at all."

"Are you sure you'll be alright? A swordsman without a sword is…" Sanji trailed off.

"Yeah. Better than you, sandbag," Zoro taunted and before I could blink, the two were exchanging kicks.

'_Calm, Mamori. You need to keep a level head for this game. Chopper is counting on you. You can't lose. Don't lose your cool. They're just idiots,_' I cooed mentally to myself, closing my eyes. '_That's it, calm._'

"STOP MESSING AROUND! DON'T MAKE ME GO OUT THERE!" Usopp raged from the sideline.

"Dumbass cook!" Zoro taunted.

_Twitch._

"Bastard!" Sanji returned as they continued to attack each other.

'_Calm, Mamori. Cal- OH FUCK IT! I'M GOING TO KICK BOTH YOUR ASSES!_'

* * *

><p>"The preparations have been completed," Itomimizu announced. "The ball of Team Straw Hat is finally in position."<p>

'_Damn straight he is!_' I sapped in an annoyed manner, my tail swishing behind me as I held my head high in an aloof manner. They were both being idiots before, so I stepped in and settled it.

Sanji was on the other half the field, standing in the circle with the three opponents surrounding him.

"Hey, chef, let us stomp you flat, okay?" the smallest asked.

"GO TO HELL!" he snapped.

"Smash them Big Pan!"

"Pickles, send them flying!"

"Make Hamburgers out of them, Hamburg!"

"The cheers from the audience intensifies!" the announcer commented, but it wasn't needed. My ears were ringing with the droning sound of people cheering, for the _other_ team.

"Big Pan, let's finish this in lightning speed," Pickles, the second biggest commented.

"…Huh?" Big Pan question.

"Pufufufu!" Hamburg laughed. "He didn't hear again."

"Hihihi!" Pickles laughed, slapping Big Pan on the stomach. "You're really… Hihihi! Listen up!"

"Huh? Ah…" Big Pan seemed confused for a second. "Hehehehe."

"Pufufufu!" Hamburg laughed as well.

"The Groggy Monster are laughing for no apparent reason again!" Itomimizu felt the need to say. "They will win again with this cheerful attitude! No time limit! One point wins the game!"

"I see," Zoro said, stretching next to me. "So if I throw that big guy into the ring on the other side, I win. I lose if that chef's head falls into my buoy. Mamori, you make sure that stupid chef doesn't get his head into the buoy, and I'll take care of the others."

'_Hey, is this a really bad time to mention that I failed Physical Education class? I swear all the balls had magnets in them because they always hit me in the face. Always. The only thing I was remotely good at was Netball and I was only good as a defender because the ball seemed to come to me anyway!_' I sent a sidelong glance at Zoro.

"Will they be able to win back the reindeer lost in the first round? Or will the Straw Hats keep losing crew members? The intense Groggy Ring is starting right now!" Itomimizu called. "Ready?"

Everyone tensed.

"BEGIN!"

As soon as the start sounded, the other team jumped into actions. Pickles jumped forward, throwing his shielded shoulder at Sanji who was standing on their side. "DIE!"

"Will the ball, Sanji, attack furiously, or run away in fear? We shall see!" Itomimizu called out. "Dealing the first hit is Pickles, the tackle demon!"

"Come! I'll take you all you!" Sanji challenged, running towards Pickles and jumping on his back as he tried to tackle Sanji.

"Suringu Takkuru!*"

"Out of my way!" Using Pickles as a platform Sanji jumped up off of his back, aiming for Big Pan who the ball for the other team. "I'm aiming for you! We win if I hit you into the buoy ring, right!"

"The two ball-men are going head-to-head!" the crowd cheered.

"COLLAR-" Sanji swung his leg back so that he could kick Big Pan in the collar bone. Big Pan saw Sanji's hit coming and threw a punch at the air-born Sanji. Sanji managed to dodge the punch, and went to use his arm as a point to run up, but as soon as his feet touched the surface of Big Pan's arms, he started to slip. "W-What the hell! This guy is so slippery!"

"Sanji he chef is unable to move on Big Pan's arm! But that can't be helped," Itomimizu commented. "Big Bang is a fish giant with mudfish genes, so his skin is extremely slippery!"

"Dammit!" Sanji swore, still trying to run up his arm.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IDIOT!" Zoro snapped.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT, ASSHOLE!" Sanji yelled back.

'_What is he planning…_' I noticed Hamburg running over to our side of the field and I took a few steps away from Zoro, standing in Hamburg's way.

"Panku Pasu!*" Big Pan yelled out, punching Sanji off his arm and into the air.

"Good hit! It's Big Pan's ultra-long pass!" Itomimizu announced in the background.

Without needing to be told what to do, I dropped back, taking up position in front of our buoy. No doubt that's where they'd be sending the ball. Zoro could act as centre.

"SANJI!" I heard Luffy yelling in the background as Sanji sailed through the air and towards out direction.

"Hamburg has positioned himself to catch the ball!" Itomimizu said as Hamburg kept running towards us and Zoro quickly started to run alongside the monkey. "Zoro is also running to catch it!"

"If you fall in, I'll dice you into bits and feed you to the dogs!" Zoro yelled at Sanji.

'_Oi! I resent that!_' I protested as they came closer and close towards the buoy.

"Shut up! It's your fault I wasn't looking!" Sanji snapped in reply to Zoro's comment.

"Osōji Takkuru!*" Pickles appeared, shoving Zoro to the side with the shield on his shoulder.

"Pickles snuck in and eliminated Zoro!" the loud mouth on the bird called. "Pickles now takes the chance to go further into the enemy ring! On the other hand, Hamburg catches Sanji in the air."

'_I can see what you're planning, I won't let you!_' I barked out my challenged, hovering in front of our Buoy as Pickles charged towards me.

"Pufufufu! Gorira Surō!*" Hamburg launched Sanji directly towards the buoy while he was still helpless in midair.

"Pickles is already in position!" The announcer was really starting to annoy me. "Zoro refuses to give up and attacks Pickles!"

"Stop right there fat bean!" Zoro called out, attacking Pickle from the side as he got ready to catch the ball.

"Supiningu Takkuru!*" Pickles saw it coming and spun himself around, much like a mini tornado. Pickles smashed into Zoro again and sent him flying into the ground.

'_Zoro!_' I gasped, tensing up as I saw it was almost my turn. I couldn't leave my post at the buoy unless I saw sure I could stop the ball. As Sanji fell, he fell onto the rotating Pickles, sending him flying back up into the air like a real ball. '_Sanji!_'

"The falling ball, Sanji, gets hit by Pickles and flies off again like a lost kite!" Itomimizu commented in excitement as Big Pan dove to the ground, using his fists to project Hamburg back up again and towards the flying Sanji. "From the back court, Big Pan rushes forward and bounces the falling Hamburg into the air again!"

"Ground-Shattering Rebound!"

"In mid-air Hamburg catches Sanji once again!" Itomimizu called as the smallest of the three grabbed Sanji yet again, getting ready to throw him into the goal. "Wait, wait! He is within shooting distance!"

"Pufufufu!"

"Hihihi!"

"Yeah!"

"Damn it you curly-eyed dumbass!" Zoro snapped, jumping back up.

"Score Hamburg! Slam-dunk!" the crowd cheered.

"NO!" Chopper screamed in the background.

'_I WON'T LET YOU SCORE!_' I growled, jumping up onto the edge of the buoy, crouching down as I got ready to jump up at the right time.

"Hm? What are you doing!" Pickles gasped and Zoro grabbed onto his leg.

"YOU'RE LOSING! ZORO! SANJI! MAMORI!" Luffy and Usopp yelled at us.

'_Have some faith dammit! I made a promise! We will save Chopper and I won't lose!_' I launched myself up into the air and at the oncoming Sanji and Hamburg.

"Could the game end so soon! The dog has finally made a move, but is it too late!" Itomimizu made the whole situation even more suspenseful.

"I will not let them win!" Zoro yelled, picking Pickles up off the ground and spinning him around even then he was many times the size of Zoro.

"WUAAAAHHH!" Pickles cried.

I collided with Hamburg mere meters from our buoy, swinging around in mid-air so that my back feet connected roughly with the ape's chin. The blow sent him tilting backwards and his grip on Sanji loosened enough for Sanji to slip free.

"EAT THIS YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Zoro yelled in the background, letting go of Pickles so that he went flying towards us.

"It's not right to end so soon!" Sanji declared, twisting around and grasping onto Hamburg's arms. I, having achieved my goal of getting our ball free, used Hamburg's body as I push off point to launch myself back up into the air. "I still haven't done anything! That seaweed head stole my snapshot moment! But at least I am not losing to him!"

As Sanji finished that line, he let go of Hamburg and delivered a blowing kick to the monkey, sending him flying down towards the ground. Pickles, whom Zoro had thrown before, smashed in Hamburg before he could hit the ground. The collision sent them both sprawling to the ground in a pile outside the ring.

"It didn't go in!" Itomimizu cried an amazement as Sanji and I landed safely back on the ground near Zoro. "This is the first time someone has defended against the Groggy Monsters' attack! The game is heating up!"

"Mamori! My princess! Thank you so much for your help, you are such a strong and brave woman!" Sanji cooed at me before spinning to face Zoro. "I don't need you!"

"You were the one being tossed around!" Zoro snapped in reply.

'_Enough! For the gods sake! Let's work together as a freaking team!_' I growled at them both.

* * *

><p>Suringu Takkuru- Sling Tackle<p>

Panku Pasu – Punk Pass

Osōji Takkuru- Sweep Tackle

Gorira Surō- Gorrila Throw

Supiningu Takkuru- Spinning Tackle

Xxxxx

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><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	46. Bathroom Break

**I thought this chapter may be late because of my operation, but thanks to the hard work of my beta, it's back early. Enjoy~**

* * *

><p>"What a surprising turn of events! Two members if the legendary Groggy Monsters were thrown out of the ring!" Itomimizu called out. "The strength of team Straw Hat is breathtaking!"<p>

"You're 100 years too early to be of any help to me!" Sanji snapped at Zoro.

"I'm not doing this for you, you piece of trash!" Zoro yelled back.

"Those guys are strong…" one of the crowd gasped.

"They threw Pickles of out of the ring…" another mumbled.

"They got Hamburg too!" one added.

"Oh? The members of the Straw Hat team are fighting each other again!" Itomimizu commented. "Though both balls are still safe, the game continues even if they are not ready."

"Haha! They're so funny!" Luffy laughed from the sideline.

"Zoro! Sanji! Mamori! What are you doing, you idiots! The enemy team's ball is alone! Kick him into the ring!" Usopp called out.

Twitch. '_Why the fuck am I included in that! I am trying to stay calm and not kill them both!_'

"Oh?" Sanji and Zoro turned their heads around at the mention of the other ball and we all look up to see a giant boot coming towards us with multiple knifes on the bottom of it.

"Waaah!" We all only just managed to throw ourselves out of the way of the boot before it stamped on the ground.

"It's a surprise attack by Big Pan!" Itomimizu said.

"Tū Baddo Dansu!*" Big Pan laughed as he stomped around the field, trying to squish Zoro, Sanji, and I. We kept running away from him, just managing to stop ourselves from getting stabbed by the boots.

'_Hey! Isn't this cheating!_' I hissed, narrowly dodging yet another stamp.

"Why are you running away!" Usopp scolded from the sideline. "He's the ball!"

"Open your eyes idiot! He has knives under his boats!" Zoro yelled back.

"Hey, Ref! I thought weapons aren't allowed!" Sanji yelled at the Ref that was standing on the side of the field. The Ref just looked to the side and started whistling.

"What the hell is he doing!" Usopp yelled.

"Fuehehehe," Foxy laughed. "The ref can't see _everything_."

"YOU CHEAP MOTHER FUCKER!" Sanji yelled, kicking the ref into the crowd of onlookers.

"Stop it Sanji!" Nami gasped.

"I know you saw it!" Sanji yelled, trying to jump the ref as Usopp held him back.

"Calm down! He's the ref!" Usopp struggled to hold Sanji back.

"I did… Not see… Anything…" the Ref mumbled, still looking to the side.

"LIAR!"

"Sanji of the Straw Hats, yellow card warning!" the ref pulled out a yellow card and blew his whistle.

"WHAT!" Sanji roared.

"STOP!" Usopp begged.

"Sanji just got a yellow card warning! One more is equivalent to a red card! That means getting kicked out of the ring!" Itomimizu elaborated for those of us who weren't sports nuts and didn't get the meaning of the card. "He attacked the referee! What a barbaric thing to do!"

"Shut up or I'll turn you into sashimi!" Sanji threatened.

"Very barbaric indeed!" the bird man gasped.

All the while Sanji was arguing with the Ref, Zoro and I were left to deal with the giant fishman who was not only still trying to step on us, he now also had an axe that he swinging at us.

'_OH MY GOODNESS! THIS IS NOT VERY SPORTSMAN LIKE!_' I snapped, ducking under a swing of the axe as Zoro jumped over it. '_Don't tell me the ref can ignore this too!_'

"TIME OUT! THIS ISN'T FAIR!" Zoro yelled.

"HEY LOOK!" Sanji yelled at the ref whilst pointing to the axe wielding cheater. "THAT GUY IS USING AN AXE!"

"I don't see it – too bad." The ref looked to the side again.

"Stop, Sanji!" Usopp had to hold him back from attacking the ref again. "You'll just get kicked out of the game!"

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS BULL-SHIT ANY MORE! MY PRINCESS IS IN TROUBLE!" Sanji snapped back.

"Calm down! You'll fall right into their trap if you don't! Calm down for Chopper's sake!" Usopp begged.

"OKAY!" Luffy hissed. "I'll beat him up then!"

"Don't do it!" Usopp had to hold Luffy back this time.

"Sanji! Don't lose!" Nami encouraged him.

"No problem!" he gasped, making a love-heart with his hands.

"Alright, back to the game!" Usopp instructed him.

Sanji did exactly that… And ended up running away from the stomping giant with Zoro and I again.

"You don't have to literally start at where you left off!" Usopp snapped.

"This freakin sucks!" Sanji skidded to a stop and turned to face Big Pan.

"Bah! If I knew that they hid weapons on them, I wouldn't have given mine up!" Zoro skidded to a stop too.

'_What are they planning…_' I skidded to a stop just behind them.

"Time to take him down!" Sanji yelled, charging at him.

"I can take him alone!" Zoro snapped, also running at the giant fishman.

'_Oh hell, here goes nothing!_ _You guys better know what you are doing!_' I snarled, jumping forward with the other two as we ran towards Big Pan.

"The four of them are about to clash!" Itomimizu gasped.

"Team work you three!" Nami called from the background.

"WUOOAH!" Big Pan cried, throwing himself to the ground right in front of us.

"Huh!?" Zoro gasped.

"Dojō Sukui Suraidingu!*" Big Pan slid straight across the ground towards us, forcing us all to jump up into the air to avoid getting bowled over by him. We were all forced to land on the giant fish man's back, and as soon as we touched down, we started slipping. Even having four paws, I still couldn't keep my balance. My back legs slipped out from under me and I ended up scooting along on my bum.

"Dojō Rēshingu Sākasu!*" Big Pan called, reaching back to grasp his legs so that he made a round ring with his body.

"Waaa!" All three of us were suddenly spun around like we were in a washing machine. I could hardly tell what was up and watch was down as I slipped and twisted around and around. Rollercoasters were fun, this is not.

"There it is!" Itomimizu called. "The racing circus! It makes the enemy slide along the giant's back! It's an inescapable sliding loop!"

"Round and Round~" Big Pan sung.

'_I WANT OFF OF THIS THING!_' I squeaked, still slipping and spinning. '_Off! Off! Off! GET ME OFF!'_

"HEY! YOU THREE! GET SERIOUS!" Usopp yelled from the sideline.

'_I WOULD IF I COULD!_' I snapped.

"While the giant is buying some time, the players that got knocked out have returned!" Itomimizu announced and I swore several times in my head. "Oh? Those two look a little different! The team captain Hamburg has put on iron gloves and elbow guards! Pickles has got a spiked shoulder pad! But weapons are not allowed! Luckily the ref is doing stretching exercises. He's not facing the ring and doesn't see the illegal moves!"

'_LUCKY MY ASS! GET ME OFF OF THIS THING! NOW!_' My stomach was starting to churn and I was going to hurl if I didn't get off soon.

"Dojō Kōsutā!*" Big Pan suddenly let go of his leg and he unrolled himself. Sanji, Zoro, and I were sent flying along his arms and we were air-born.

"Ahh!" Sanji gasped dizzily.

"Twinkle, twinkle," Zoro mumbled to himself.

'_Oh Gods…_' I gasped. I couldn't see straight. I couldn't hear. I couldn't even think. Everything was spinning around me and my sense was completely messed over. Apparently spinning around for ages was not that all good on a dog's senses, especially since we have such acute senses.

I was not even able to land properly, I impacted roughly against the ground and I was still spinning when I hit it. I ended up rolling in a ball of limbs for several meters before my body stopped. My brain didn't stop though, the ground seemed to tilt and sway under me like I was on the boat in the middle of a hurricane. I squeezed my eyes closed, shoving down the urge to vomit.

I heard the cheering of the crowd first, which I took as a bad sign since most of the crowd was not rooting for us. I quickly forced myself back up into my paws, ignoring how everything spun around me.

"MAMORI! WATCH OUT!" Usopp yelled and my eyes snapped open when I shadow blocked out my vision of the sun.

"Panku Pasu!*"

Before I could react a huge hand swept down and swatted my small body like a fly. The impact sent a wave of pain through my body and all my breath left my body as I went flying through the air yet again. I was going too fast and I was in too much pain to stop myself.

"Supiningu Takkuru!*" Big Pan had sent me flying straight towards the rotating Pickles. My back connected with the spinning Groggy Monster, and my body bounced back off of him, sending me straight up into the sky this time.

"Hanbāgā Hanmā!*" Hamburg was waiting for me up in the sky and, using his metal gloves, punched me in the stomach. The pain of the earlier two attacks couldn't compare to this one. Everything went black although I could still feel myself towards the grounds. It hurt so much and I was flinching mentally when I thought about my body connecting with the ground.

It hurt as much as I thought it would. After gathering so much force from Hamburg's blow, the sudden stop had every part of my body hurting. I was paralyzed when I stopped moving, panting in pain.

"The Groggy Monsters are back on top with several amazing attacks! All of team Straw Hat is down! All that's left now is throwing the ball into the goal!" Itomimizu's words got the crowd hyped up even more.

"GROGGY MONSTERS!"

"The buoy ring will serve as their grave! The victory of Round 2 is at hand! Undefeatable! They are the Groggy Monsters!" bird man cheered.

"Hey Cook, give me a hand for 10 seconds," Zoro said quietly and my ears twitched as my attention was drawn back to my sore body. Blood was soaking through my coat now, but I had no idea where it was coming from because everywhere hurt so much.

"That sounds like the right amount of time," Sanji agreed.

'_What about me?_' I let a questioning grumble out of my chest.

"You too Mamori," Zoro added after a second.

'_Damn straight._'

"Mamori! My princess! Are you okay! How the dare they treat a woman like that! It's unforgivable!"

"For the 2nd round of the Davy Back Fight, Groggy Ring, the results are apparent. The monsters are undefeated as always." The annoying bird man flew over us, running his mouth off again. "Team Straw Hat put up a good fight, but couldn't prevent their doom. Now, I will express my consent to the loser-"

"LOOK!" the crowd gasped. They seemed shocked that we had all stood back up. Gods above, it hurt, but we were all standing.

"They're standing back up! Swordsman Roranoa, Chef Sanji, and Mamori the dog! Three very enduring men! Though their perseverance seems to be all that they have left!"

'_I'M A WOMAN!_' I snapped.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered.

"Stand up and kick this ass!" Usopp cried.

"Listen up you three!" Foxy suddenly instructed. "Give me a Monster Burger!"

The whole crowd seemed to be very shocked at this, everything going silent as they all gasped in shock.

"Look at their reactions…" Robin mumbled over the quiet.

"O-Our boss ordered a Monster Burger!" Considering how shocked bird man seemed, it mustn't be a good thing. "Death is inevitable for Team Straw Hat now!"

Hamburg suddenly stuck both hands in his pants and I jerked my head backwards as my eyes went wide.

'_WHAT IS HE DOING! KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS, DUDE!_'

"Fufufu!" he laughed, pulling out a large club in each of his hands. "Smash it up, Hamburg."

"Slice it up, Pickles." Pickles followed Hamburg's lead and pulled two swords out of his pants.

"And you add!?" the crowd called.

"Green Lettuce, yellow cheese and red tomato!"

"Hey! They are showing off the weapons that aren't allowed in the first place!" Nami protested.

"Hehehe, use the Big Pans and smash them in between!" Big Pan said, pulling two large pans out of his pants.

"Monsutā Bāgā!*" the three called at the same time, lining up in front of each up from smallest to largest. Hamburg was beating his clubs against the ground, Pickles was spinning with his blades and Big Pan was slamming his pans together.

"Here it is! The most dangerous three-weapon combo attack! Death us inevitable! This is definitely red-card material! Fortunately the referee just happened to be looking the other way! He is doing bending exercises and he doesn't see any of this!" Itomimizu called out.

Twitch. '_That's it. I've had enough of this ref! I'll teach him not to pay attention..._'

"You stupid faker!" Luffy yelled as he lunged for the ref.

"Don't Luffy!" Usopp pulled him back.

While Usopp was struggling with Luffy I had stalked quietly over to the ref without anyone noticing. Even the ref, who didn't pay attention to anything, didn't notice my approach. Not that it surprised me. Now I had to teach him a lesson without physically hurting him or threatening him, or I'd get a yellow card.

Because nobody had noticed me, and Usopp was struggling with Luffy, no one tried to stop me until it was too late. I parked myself next to the ref, glancing around very suspiciously. I then cocked my leg, aiming at the refs legs before I started peeing against the referee's leg. Yes, I peed. Against the ref's leg. Fuck being lady like. I'd been beaten up, pushed around, insulted, and cheated today. I'd had enough. This guy was just _pissing_ me off. Pun intended in every possible way.

The ref froze in horror when he noticed what I was doing and then let out a very girly scream of horror. He looked like someone had just kicked him in the balls, all colour draining from his face. Slowly the noise in the crowd went silent around us, like a Mexican wave as everyone started staring at me. Oops. Caught in the act.

"What is this! The Straw Hats dog has decided it was time for a toilet break and is using the referee as a fire hydrant! Nothing like this has ever happened before! I don't think there are any rules against this!" Itomimizu sounded as shocked as they crowd looked. Even Foxy had a rather amusing look on his face. I don't think his jaw could have dropped any further if it tried.

"Shihihihi!" Luffy laughed, throwing his arms up in the air. "Go Mamori!"

"We're doomed!" Usopp cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Jeez," Nami sighed, face-palming.

Sanji had an absolutely horrified look on his face at the thought of his princess doing anything un-lady like and Zoro just looked slightly amused at my antics.

I quickly finished up, dropped my leg, kicked some dirt of the ref's leg and trotted back out onto the field. The eerie silence continued to echo as everyone tried to understand what they'd just seen. I could hardly believe that I'd had enough guts to do that myself.

'_When you have to go, you have to go,_' I snickered to my, holding my head up high as I pranced back into the field.

Before I got back to the centre of the field, the Groggy Monsters made their move. They ran towards Sanji, staying in their line from before.

"The Groggy Monsters are making their move! Their target is the ball, Sanji!" Itomimizu drew everybody's attention away from me. "He will be mashed, sliced and smashed flat! What kind of burger will he become?"

"Time to turn into mush!" Hamburg yelled, charging at Sanji will swinging his bats.

"For third class material like you it's impossible to make anything good out of you! And this is payback for you daring to hit a lady!" Sanji said calmly before jumping into action. He flipped across the ground, heading towards Hamburg.

"So fast!" Hamburg gasped before he received Sanji's feet directly into his face.

"Troisième Hachis*!"

Blood flew out of Hamburg's mouth and Sanji pulled back, bracing his hands against the ground.

"Leader, watch out!" Pickles called out.

"Bouquetière Shot*!" Sanji thrust his legs straight up under Hamburg's chin, sending him flying into the air.

It was my turn now. I ran over to Sanji, jumping up in the air so that I landed on the bottom of his feet as he stood in his handstand. Sanji bent his feet a little as I landed, and then he thrust his legs up again, giving the extra boost of energy I needed. Using his feet as a launching pad, I jumped up into the air so that I right next Hamburg. I curled into a ball, spinning around three times to gather all the needed energy and then I kicked out with my back legs like a horse. My feet connected with the centre of Hamburg's back with enough force to send him flying right at Big Pan.

"Not good!" Pickles gasped. "Big Pan! Stop the pans!"

"…Huh?" Big Pan didn't hear Pickles, and as a result, he closed the pans on the Hamburg, squishing him. When Big Pan felt something in his pans he paused and looked between them as his flattened leader fell out.

I landed calmly next to Sanji, a wide grin on my face. Things were finally starting to look up. I should have peed on the ref earlier.

"Leader! I'll avenge you!" Pickles yelled, spinning towards Sanji and I with his swords out.

Zoro ran past Sanji and I, skidding to a crouched stop at Pickle's feet.

"Don't forget that this is a team match," he warned, grasping Pickle's ankles.

"Damn you!" Pickles yelled, as he swiped his sword at Zoro. "I'll slice you into pieces!"

"Mutōryū…" Zoro closed his eyes and concentrated. "Tastu Maki*!"

Zoro spun Pickles hard enough to send his spinning in the opposite direction up in the air. Without being able to control himself, Pickles hit Big pan's chest whilst still spinning, his swords cutting into Big Pan's flesh.

"WAAAAAA!" Big Pan started to fall backwards.

"Bug Pan is getting diced up by Pickles!"

"Wah! I can't stop!" Pickles cried out.

"Anti-Manner…" Sanji appeared behind Big Pan and jumped up to kick him in the centre of his back. "Kick Corse!"

"Amazing! Big Pan's falling body got kicked back up! Now Big Pan is in the half-standing, half-falling, Groggy state!" Itomimizu gasped. "Oh! The swordsman Zoro is rushing forward! Without a doubt he's going for the ball, Big Pan!"

"You won't pass!" Pickles yelled, standing in Zoro's way.

"You cheating bastards!" Sanji snapped, running up behind Pickles as he swung his leg around. "You and the referee!"

"Hm?" Sanji's foot impacted into the side of Pickle's head, sending him flying towards the ref who again, wasn't paying attention. Pickles' large body wiped the ref out and sent them both flying into the crowd.

"Pickles got kicked out into… Oh no! He landed on the referee!" Itomimizu called.

"Gr! You did that on purpose!" the ref growled from under the unconscious Pickles who was squashing him against the ground. "You attacked the referee indirectly… Red card… Hm? Where's my cards! Wah! Damn it!"

"Looking for these?" Nami cooed, holding his cards up as the ref passed out.

"Bad girl," Robin smirked.

"Only Big Pan remains standing in the ring!" bird man pointed out. "Oh! Are those two fighting each other again?"

Zoro ran towards Sanji and Sanji swung his leg around so that so that Zoro could jump on it.

"Armée de L'Air!" Sanji called out, kicking Zoro towards Big Pan's face. "Power Shoot*!"

"GAH!" Big Pan cried out as Zoro latched onto Big Pan's top jaw, dragging his head backwards.

'_My turn!_' With a run up, I took off running towards the back of Big Pan's legs. I aimed for the left one and I jumped up onto the air, spinning as a ball. I aimed for the back of his knee and at the last second I unrolled and slammed the top of my sturdy skull into the back of his knee with enough force to cause his legs to give out under him.

"Imp-Impossible!" Itomimizu gasped. "The fish giant's heavy body is airborne! He is aiming from the goal ring!"

Big Pan's head impacted into the buoy with enough force to shake the whole ground. As soon as my feet had touched the ground I took off running out from under the giant's body, only just in time to avoid getting squished.

"GOAL!" Itomimizu cried out. "Goal! Goal! Goal!"

"AWESOME! THEY WON!" Luffy cheered from the side line.

"THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL!" Usopp sobbed.

"That was amazing! Those punks are strong!" one of Foxy's crew commented.

"Idiots! Don't praise them!" Foxy snapped.

"I'm so touched I'm going to cry!" another cried out.

"Cool! They're so cool!"

"Ah…" The ref sat up, waking up from his fainting finally. "Huh?"

"Mr. Referee, you're awake!" Nami smiled and handed him the whistle. "Blow the whistle!"

"Ah! That's right! I almost forgot! That punk attacked me twice!" the ref gasped and blew on his whistle.

"There it is!" bird man cried. "The ending whistle! The victory is official! In Davy Back Fight, Round 2, defeating the almighty Groggy Monsters and winning the round… It's Team Straw Hat! Congratulations!"

'_We… We actually did it…_' I laughed giddily as it finally sunk in. '_WE WON!_'

"Don't fool around next time!" Usopp walked up and smacked Zoro. "I was so scared!"

"Stop it!" Zoro protested, raising his arm. "Stop hitting me!"

"Wahaha! I knew we would win!" Luffy laughed.

"Robin~ Nami~ Did you see it! Did my awesomeness stun you!" Sanji cooed, spinning circles.

"Good work." Robin smiled.

I lazily plonked my ass down where I was, every muscle in my body aching. '_Urgh, that was harder than I thought it would be._'

"And now, the victor of Round 2, Team Straw Hat, can pick any crew member from the Foxy Pirates as their prize, or take their flag!" Itomimizu announced. "Which will the Straw Hats' captain choose?"

"Of course I'll choose him," Luffy shrugged and all of Foxy's crew seemed to be shocked, thinking it was them. "Okay, I'll chose Cho-"

"Wait Luffy," Nami protested. "The third match is one-on-one, and their player is their captain. No substitutes can be used in the Third Round. So if we take that man now, we get an automatic 3rd win. In other words, we can get Chopper back without any more fights!"

"THAT IS DOWN RIGHT DIRTY!" Itomimizu snapped as Foxy's crew started shouting abuse at Nami. "What an unbelievably cold blooded woman! She is pure evil and totally untrustworthy!"

"I overestimated you!"

"Cheap shit!"

'_OI!_' I snapped, growling as I jumped back up to my feet. I then stalked in front of Nami, snarling at Foxy's crew. '_Don't say that to Nami, pigs!_'

"How dare you talk down on my Nami!" Sanji raged.

"Throughout decades of the Davy Back Fight history, many people thought of such a trick, but nobody ever put such dishonour into action!" Itomimizu commented as the crew booed at Nami. "I'm sure everyone here would agree with me! The 3rd fight should be fought honourably, not avoided cowardly!"

"They're so mean!" Nami cried, burying her face into Robin's chest.

"Where is their honour when they disgraced all the rules," Robin commented.

"Stop crying," Zoro snorted. "It's your own fault."

'_Zoro_,' I growled, sending him a dirty look.

"I agree with Nami!" Usopp called out as the crowd continued to shout.

"Shameless!"

"Scum!"

"Cheap-ass!"

"You're really starting to tick me off!" Nami snapped suddenly, stepping away from Robin as she glared scarily at Foxy's crew. The crew went silent straight away and they all froze. "So? No more comments?"

"Sorry…" they all apologised.

"Uh…" Itomimizu hesitated. "Anyway, the choice is the captain's alone. Only their captain, Monkey D. Luffy shall decide! Let's see who he will pick!"

"Actually, Nami, if we do as you said, we will certainly get an easy win. However, I don't want to have that spilt-head traveling with me," Robin pointed out.

"So true!" she gasped.

'_I'd kill him. He wouldn't last 3 hours_,' I grumbled.

"Yeah, we don't need that kind of trash," Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro all agreed at the same time.

"CHOPPER, COME BACK!" Luffy called out.

"OKAY!" Chopper cried, tears streaming down his face. He wiggled free of Porche's grip and ran straight for Luffy, jumping up onto Luffy's chest.

"No! Choppy!" Porche cried.

"Waah!" Chopper bawled, hugging Luffy. "Thanks for saving me!"

I smiled softly, glad to see he was back.

"Stop crying," Luffy laughed. "It's not like Zoro, Sanji, and Mamori could've lost."

"Oh no! Boss' gentle heart is shattered again! He has completely crumbled!" Foxy was on his hands on knees of the ground, an air of depression around him.

"The pain…" Foxy moaned.

"They bluntly said that they don't want boss!" one of Foxy's crew raged.

"Boss, don't be sad! We want you!" another cried out.

"Boss!"

"Boss, teach them a lesson in Round 3!"

"Yeah, we're looking forward to it!"

"Boss!"

"You guys…" Foxy mumbled.

"Stop that bullshit. Fight already," Sanji sighed and Foxy collapsed back to the ground again.

"Boss!"

Foxy finally managed to straighten himself out and then he pointed at us. "Fueh! Listen, you! No one can win against me in battle for Round 3! Besides, the crew member you lose in the final round can't be won back! All of you should be prepared to become one of us permanently!"

"I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!" Luffy yelled.

"Fuehehe," Foxy laughed. "There are many differences between a normal battle and a game battle."

* * *

><p>"The 2nd Round ended with an unexpected loss for the Groggy Monsters," Itomimizu announced from the main stage. "The two teams are now tied! Coming up is the 3rd and final round of the Davy Back Fight that will decide everything! The game type is the crowd favourite! The mostly eagerly anticipated Battle Round!"<p>

"I can't wait!" The crowd cheered. "Start the fight!"

"First, we will pick the battle field," Itomimizu continued.

"We get to pick the battle field?" Zoro questioned.

"With the field cannon chooser!" Itomimizu finished as Luffy and Foxy were invited up to spin a canon. "Both Players will now spin the cannon and then when the cannon comes to a natural halt…"

"That doesn't look natural at all!" Usopp snapped as they canon stop suddenly and jerkily.

**BOOM**

"The field chosen with the cannon is coincidentally the ship of the Foxy Pirates!" Itomimizu announced as the cannonball landed on Foxy's ship.

"Coincidental? Yeah right!" Usopp raged. "Cheaters!"

"It doesn't matter, stop whining," Zoro sighed.

'_Zoro, stop being such a damn hard-ass!_' I growled.

"Alright!" Itomimizu was back on his bird and flying in the sky. "Now the battlefield is chosen it's time to explain to rules. The actual field is the area within 50m radius of where the cannonball landed. So that's a circular field, 100 meters in diameter. You may use any weapon on the ship, aside from the contestants, no other person is allowed on the field. The first person to kick the opponent out of the field wins! That's all! By the way, the spaces above and under the circles is part of the field."

* * *

><p>"Thanks a ton! You three were so cool!" Chopper compliment as he tied a bandage on Sanji's wrist. Once things had calmed down, Chopper treated Zoro and then Sanji. They were the worst off. My injuries weren't as bad as theirs. "You kicked their butts big time!"<p>

"Hahaha," Sanji laughed.

"Mamori, your turn!" Chopper informed me, dumping his medical bag at my feet. "Are you still feeling okay even after passing out before?"

I tensed up, remembering my chat with Ikol… Should I tell Luffy or not? He said that next time I run into Ikol, I need to tell him… But, at the moment Luffy had other things to worry about and it doesn't seem like Ikol wants to kill me anymore.

'_Uhh, yep, I'm feeling fine!_' my voice came out a bit shaky so Chopper eyed me in disbelief. '_I promise!_'

"I you say so…"

* * *

><p><strong>Tū Baddo Dansu <strong>- Too Bad Dance

**Dojō Sukui Suraidingu** – Loach Scoop Slide

**Dojō Rēshingu Sākasu** – Loach Racing Circus

**Dojō Kōsutā** - Loach Coaster

**Panku Pasu** - Punk Pass

**Supiningu Takkuru** - Spinning Tackle

**Hanbāgā Hanmā** – Hamburger Hammer

**Monsutā Bāgā** – Monster Burger

**Troisième Hachis **- Third Rate Mincemeat

**Bouquetière Shot **- Mixed Vegetable Shot

**Mutōryū Tatsu Maki **- No Sword Style: Dragon Twister

**Armée de L'Air Power Shoot **- Air Force Power Shoot **(B/N: Why is it that everything sounds better in French?)**

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	47. Usopp the Pimp

"The preparations are complete!" Itomimizu called out. "The most exciting event of the day is starting! It's the Battle Round! The fight will start soon!"

**BANG**

**BANG**

**BANG**

A thick smog of black smoke covered the sky so that everything went darker.

"Nami~ Robin~ Mamori~ There are seats here!" Sanji called out, waving to us as he walked towards a large set of seats that faced the Foxy Pirates' boat. Apparently they had decided to build seating for the match.

"Eh? The sky turned dark," Robin noted as Nami and herself walked towards Sanji.

"It's filled with black smoke!" Chopper gasped, glancing up.

'_Come on._' I nudged Chopper with my nose so that he followed Robin and Nami.

"The two fighters of the final round are the corresponding captains!" bird-man commentated as two large wanted poster banners unrolled from a large frame that was set up in front of the seating. "On the left, the returning champion with a record of 920 straight wins! He is the captain of the Foxy Pirates! Our boss, Foxy the Silver Fox!"

"YEAAAH!" The crowd cheered and whistled as Foxy stepped into view on the figure head of the ship. The noise coming from the crowd had my head spinning again, they were too loud for my poor ears.

"Boss!"

"Take him down in a second!"

"On the right," Itomimizu continued as everyone settled down on a seat, "The captain of the small but ferocious team of pirates, with an amazing bounty of 100 million beli, he is known as the Straw Hat Kiddo, Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy stepped out into view with Usopp next to him. For some reason Luffy was wearing only a pair of shorts, boxing gloves and had a massive afro. Usopp… Was hard to describe. He looked like a pimp with dreadlocks. "Davy Back Fight, Final Round, battle start!"

"Luffy you look so cool!" Chopper cheered.

"Who's that?" Zoro twitched.

'…_I'm disowning them._' I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Hell yeah!" Luffy yelled, throwing his fists up into the air.

"Alright, the fight is about to begin!" bird-man yelled over the sound of the cheering crowd. "Both combatants are in the battle field!"

"I'm Luffy's coach! Open your eyes for the golden right punch!" Usopp yelled, posing like a pimp.

"Yeah! Ring the bell already!" Luffy pumped his fists again.

"Fueh, Fueh," Foxy laughed as he cracked his neck. "Interesting…"

"Who died and made Usopp the coach?" Zoro grumbled.

'_Usopp isn't a coach, he's a pimp_,' I corrected Zoro.

"Hell yeah! I'm burning up, Bro!" Sanji cheered.

"Can't he be more serious?" Nami questioned.

"Heehee, I think he looks fine," Robin laughed.

"…Mamori, what's a pimp?" Chopper asked me after thinking about it for a few seconds.

'_Oh!_' I choked, sending him a wide eyed look as the others turned their attention to me with accusing looks. "_Umm, well, uh!_'

"Mamori! What are you saying to him!" Nami scolded me.

'_It's not like that!_' I complained, ducking my head in embarrassment, ears flattening themselves against my skull. '_Chopper, there are some things that you don't need to know yet, and that is one of them, okay?_'

"Oh, okay," he agreed.

"I suggest you start digging your grave, you'll need it after the fight!" Usopp warned Foxy, pointing his pimp ring covered finger at him.

"Alright! All seconds get out of the ring!" Itomimizu ordered.

"Hang on! I'm not finished yet!" Usopp protested.

"Seconds, get out!" he repeated as the crowed continued to cheer. "I will repeat the rules. The battlefield is our ship. That included the entire main deck and every room under it. All the action will take place there! The field also includes the terrain in the 100 meter radius of the ship's mast! Lastly, there is no time limit! One point wins the game!" The audience stand suddenly shook before rising up into the air with all of us on it. "Now only the two contestants are on the field!"

"Fueh, fueh, Straw Hat Luffy, the entire ship is part of the battlefield! Fight however you want! Don't worry if you break anything, we have plenty of ship mechanics." Foxy informed Luffy.

"Okay!" he agreed.

"Go boss!"

"Straw Hat, nice outfit, but you're still going down!"

"Luffy! You have to win!" Sanji yelled.

"Be careful of his beam attack!" Nami cautioned him.

'_Urgh_,' I groaned at the load cheering crowd. It was giving me a massive headache and making me feel boxed in. I couldn't even get off the stands if I wanted to.

"The excitement level is at its peak!" bird-man felt the need to point out. "Will they lose or acquire a crew member? There is no turning back now! Davy Back Fight, Final Round! Foxy the Silver Fox VS Straw Hat Luffy! The clash between two captains! The fare of their crews is in their hands. Let the game… BEGIN!"

"COME ON!" Foxy jeered at Luffy.

"GOMU GOMU NO…" Luffy started to say, pulling back one of his fists before letting it fly. "PISTOL!"

"Noro Noro* Beam!" Foxy called out, jumping out of the way of Luffy's punch as he sent his Noro Noro Beam at Luffy's extended arm.

"OH NO!" Nami gasped.

"What!" Luffy yelped when his fist slowed down. "My punch became so slow!"

"Fuehehehehe!" Foxy laughed. "The harder you hit, the harder you trip?"

"What! It won't come back!" Luffy struggled to pull his arm back in for a few second before it snapped back into place naturally with such force that it knocked Luffy back onto his ass. "WAH!"

"Fuehehe!" Foxy laughed again, aiming his hands at Luffy who was on the ground. "Noro Noro…"

"Must dodge it!" Luffy snapped at himself, jumping up into the air.

"Just kidding," Foxy taunted before aiming at the airborne Luffy who couldn't dodge the beam. "Noro Noro Beam!"

"LUFFY!" Chopper cried out from next to me.

"I TOLD YOU TO WATCH OUT!" Sanji yelled.

"Fuck him up, boss!"

"Hahaha, that guy is weak!"

'_Watch your damn mouths before I shut them for you!_' I growled, sending dirty looks at the loudest of Foxy's crew.

"Why won't I fall!" Luffy gasped, floating in the air.

"Enjoying the moment, Straw Hat Luffy?" Foxy questioned, hands on his hips.

"Even the falling speed decreased…" Zoro pointed out.

"Luffy is so cool!" Chopper gasped.

"Fueh, fueh," Foxy laughed, jumping up onto Luffy's stomach.

"What… Are… You… Doing!" Luffy protested.

"Kyubi* Rush!" Foxy called out, pounding into Luffy's stomach and face repeatedly with his fists.

"Huh? No effect from the punches?" Sanji sounded confused.

'_Luffy…_'

"No," Zoro grumbled. "The beam probably made it slower too."

"Fuehehehe." Foxy jumped off of Luffy and raised his fist at the crowd. "That felt good!"

"Damn… You…" Luffy hissed.

"My punches will add up and become effective soon. You're done for even if you are a rubber man," Foxy teased. "1… 2… 3… Ding! That's thirty-seconds!"

"WAAAH!" Luffy suddenly slammed back into the ground with enough force to send him bouncing up into the air and off the side of the figurehead.

"All the hits take effect at once after 30 seconds!" Sanji gasped.

"LUFFY!" Nami called out.

"He'll fall into the sea like that," Robin pointed out.

"Grrr!" Luffy flung his fist back upwards and grabbed hold of the figurehead, pulling himself safely back up.

"Oh look!" the crowd gasped. "His arm stretched! Interesting! So that's the power of the Gomu Gomu Fruit!"

"Damn!" Luffy panted, wiping the blood off of his cheek. "It's stronger than I thought! That "Noro Noro Beam"… What is it? I better not stretch too much!"

'_Come on Luffy! You can do it! KICK HIS ASS!_' I barked from the crowd.

"Grr! I'm pissed now!" Luffy hissed, looking around for Foxy who had disappeared. "COME OUT, BROOM HEAD!"

"Ooh!" bird-man chirped. "The Final Round has barely begun and our boss' flawless combo attack totally knocked Straw Hat down! It's firing up!"

Luffy jumped off the figure head and onto the main deck of Foxy's ship only too have multiple arrows shot at him.

"Wah!" Luffy bent over backwards and only just managed to dodge them.

"Fueh, fueh, fueh!" Foxy laughed, appearing on the railing on the front deck where Luffy was. "Welcome back to my ship!"

'_This is going to be a long fight…_' I sighed nervously, glancing around.

* * *

><p>"It's Round 3 of the Davy Back Fight, Combat!" Itomimizu commented as he flew over the ship. Luffy and Foxy had gone deep into the ship to fight it out, and no one knew what was going on. We all had to sit and wait. "No one can see what is going on inside the ship, however we know for sure that it is a rigorous duel to the finish! Even though we cannot see, everyone is cheering for our great boss!"<p>

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

"Booosssss!"

'_Oh shut your damn pie-holes you bunch of fluffing seagulls!_' I snarled, trying to tune down my swearing because Chopper was right next to me.

"Don't lose," Zoro grumbled, a serious look on his face.

"Luffy won't lose!" Chopper chirped confidently.

"Yeah! His afro will prevail!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Foxy should be no match for Luffy," Sanji shrugged.

"Why would the afro increase his power anyways?" Nami asked.

"He sure looked stronger!" Robin laughed.

**BOOM**

An explosion rocked the ship and sent wood flying from the front deck, causing me to flinch from the loud noise. My ears were hurting enough from the loud cheering, let alone adding explosion to it.

"Something is happening!" bird man gasped. "Who prevailed? Has it been decided? There are two shadows!"

"YEAAAAAH!" the crowd cheered when the smoke cleared, leaving Foxy standing on the front deck, Luffy at his feet. Luffy looked worse for wear, his whole body was covered in burns, cuts and scratches. Too bad that damn afro was still living.

"Fuehehehe!" Foxy laughed, throwing his fists up in the air.

"The boss is still standing!" Itomimizu gasped. "On the other hand, Straw Hat Luffy is badly burnt! He likely suffered some sort of fierce punch!"

"AAH!" Chopper cried.

"LUFFY!" Usopp wailed.

"No way!" Sanji muttered.

"Why! Why would he be burned from punches!" Nami protested.

"Look!" Robin pointed back at the ship as Luffy pushed himself back up to his feet.

"Straw Hat Luffy is standing back up!" Itomimizu sounded shocked. This _was_ Luffy we were talking about.

"He stood back up!" Foxy gasped. "Straw Hat Luffy! Must be something about that afro after all…"

"Knock him out!" The crowd cheered.

"Yeah, finish it!"

Foxy just smirked and slammed his gloves together before flinging them back and throwing something invisible towards our captain.

"What?" he gasped, not being able to move yet again.

"Fueh, fueh, fueh!" Foxy laughed showing off his sword that was made of his own beam. "This is the Noro Noro Beam Sword. I have locked your arms and legs with it. Looks like you're not going anywhere for a while."

"Ngh! Dammit! I'm stuck!" Luffy struggled but it didn't achieve anything other than frustrating him.

"Megaton Kyubi* Rush!" Foxy called out, throwing his fists at Luffy yet again. I flinched as they hit over and over and over and over again while Luffy couldn't escape.

'_LUFFY!_' I shot up in my chair, fidgeting nervously.

Foxy stopped punching him just as the effects of the Noro Noro Beam Sword wore off, and Luffy went flying back into the main mast, flopping to the deck.

"Fuehehehe!" Foxy laughed, throwing his head back.

"This time-" Itomimizu started to say before pausing. "No… Not yet… Straw Hat Luffy has stood back up!"

"Luffy!" Nami, Chopper, and Usopp called out as our captain stood back up.

"How is he still standing after that!" Foxy's crew gasped.

"Is it because of the wig?"

"The wild African Hairdo!"

'_SHUT UP ABOUT THAT STUPID THING ON HIS HEAD!_' I snapped, shooting and annoyed glare at the crowd. '_IT LOOKS LIKE A DAMN RAT AND IT NEEDS TO BURN IN HELL._'

"NORO NORO BEAM!" Foxy shot his beam at Luffy before rushing him again and pummelling him with punches again. "Megaton Kyubi Rush!" When the effect wore off, Luffy went flying into the mast again, but this time the force of his body managed to snap the sturdy beam in half.

"Screw you!" Usopp snapped, jumping up out of his seat and flinging one of his legs over the railing of the stand. "That beam thing is way too cheap!"

"Usopp!" Zoro and I jumped up at the same time, latching onto the idiot so he didn't jump. Zoro grabbed hold of Usopp's arm and bit down on his pants, yanking him back.

"GOOOO!" the crowd cheered.

"Heh… Heh…" Foxy panted. "This is really tiresome business."

"That's just torture, not a fight!" Usopp screamed, struggling against Zoro and my hold on him. Zoro was alright with his grip, but if Usopp struggled any harder, I'd probably end up pulling down his pimp pants.

"He's standing up!" the crowd gasped, but I couldn't see around Usopp's ass which was right in my face. If he farted right now, I swear I'd take away his ability to reproduce.

Seeing my plight, Sanji reached over and grabbed Usopp firmly, dragging him back so that I could let go. As I ducked out from behind him, I saw Luffy just in time to watch scream, "TO SAVE MY NAKAMA, I WILL FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"

"Luffy…" Usopp sniffled, tears running down his face from behind his pimp glasses.

"Straw Hat is standing back up!" bird-man yelled out. "What amazing stamina! He keeps standing back up again and again!"

"Luffy…" Usopp and Chopper cried.

"Why won't you just stay down!" Foxy hissed.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled.

"His legs are shaking! He's out of breath, yet his eyes are still so keen as he keeps standing up!" Itomimizu sobbed. "For the sake of his nakama, that is the true spirit of the Davy Back Fight! My tears are pouring out! I can hardly see anything!"

"Luffy!" Usopp yelled.

"Luffy!" bird-man yelled.

"Luffy!" The crowd yelled.

"Luffy!"

"Luffy!"

"Luffy!"

"Luffy!"

"Luffy!"

"Deafening cheers for Luffy comes nonstop from the audience!" Itomimizu commented. "There has never been another man who could survive against our boss to this extent!"

"Luffy!"

"Luffy!"

"Idiots! Why the hell are you cheering for the enemy!" Foxy yelled at the crowd.

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

'_Well_,' I snorted, '_the mood changed quickly…_'

"Watch carefully because this is the end!" Foxy threatened Luffy, putting up his fists again. "Noro Noro Beam Sword!" Foxy flung the flexible sword at Luffy who tried to dodge it by jumping to the side. Unfortunately it still hit him in several places, throwing him into the ground. "Fueh, fueh, it's impossible to run from me!"

"Damn! He doesn't even have the strength to run!" Usopp panicked.

"I can't bear to see Luffy like this!" Chopper whimpered like a child.

'_He's doing this for us Chopper_,' I cooed, rubbing the top of my head against his cheek. '_He will win! Just you watch! He won't let us down!_'

**BOOM**

"Time for the finisher! Noro Noro Beam!" Foxy shot a beam at the cannonball that had been fired towards Luffy. The ball slowed down and Foxy kicked up something that was at his feet, sending it towards the cannonball.

"Boss is on the offensive! First he slowed down the cannonball!" bird-man commentated.

The bit of wood landed neatly on top of the cannonball, and when it settled we could all what it was. It was a giant wooden model of a flying fox that was built to fit onto the cannonball. "Foxy Fighter! Using the speed of the cannonball, this megaton punch will K.O. you for sure!"

"There it is!" Itomimizu gasped. "It's boss' ultimate cannon-riding attack! Soon the Foxy Fighter will charge and obliterate the target.

"Luffy! He got you a moment before the cannonball! Start running as soon as you are free!" Sanji encouraged.

"Fuehehehe."

"Ah!" Luffy gasped, pushing himself sluggily back up. "I can move now!"

"Straw Hat got free from the effect of the beam first!" bird-man yelled.

"It's useless! You won't get away!" The glider suddenly shot forward towards Luffy who was scrambling to get out of the way in time. He didn't make it. Foxy's fists connected with Luffy's face with more enough force to sending him flying back across the ship and into the railing. Foxy jumped off of the glider at the last second and it continued to fly at Luffy who was half hanging of the boat in-between the ruins of the railing. "Take that as my farewell gift!"

**BOOM**

"Game over!" Itomimizu yelled as the cannonball exploded right over Luffy, covering the area in a ball of flames and smoke.

'_LUFFY!_' I yelled in shock.

"LUFFY! NO!" Chopper screamed.

"Perfect hit! There is no way he could've survived."

"Fueh, fueh!" Foxy laughed in the clearing smoke.

"Isn't that going a little too far!" Nami muttered.

"Heh, heh," Luffy panted, but he was standing in an upright position as the smoke cleared.

"H… He… HE STOOD BACK UP AGAIN!" Itomimizu cried in shock.

"Impossible!"

"He's not human!"

"I'm… Going to win!" Luffy gasped.

"Bullshit!" Foxy snapped in reply. "You can hardly stand! If you want to die so badly, I'll keep hitting you until you drop! Megaton Kyubi…"

"Heh, heh, Gomu Gomu no…"

"RUSH!"

"GATTLING GUN!"

Both their attacks connected at the same times, fists flying everywhere while the crowd cheered and screamed at the two contestants.

"Amazing!" Itomimizu yelled in excitement. "The fight is so fierce even this late in the game! The fighters have entered a pummelling rage!"

"Luffy! Go! Smash him up good!" Usopp cheered.

"Smash!" Chopper yelled.

"Not stopping! They don't seem to be stopping any time soon!" Itomimizu's eyeballs were almost popping out.

"Ahhh! Such… Power! How can this dying man have so much strength left!" Foxy gasped, not stopping their punch out. "This is… Noro Noro Be-"

Suddenly the punch-out stopped, both of them stopping in place as the crowd went silent.

"Huh?"

"What happened?" Usopp asked.

"They're not moving," Robin answered.

"Heh… Heh," Luffy panted, falling to his knees.

"D… Down! Straw Hat is down!" bird-man yelled. "That's not right! Straw Hat is still moving! What the heck happened!"

"Damn… You…" Foxy hissed.

"What!" Nami gasped.

'_He didn't_!' My eyes widened. '_Don't tell me he figured it out_!'

"Boss!" the foxy pirates cried.

"A mirror!" Itomimizu announced as something dropped out of Luffy's hand, landing on the deck. "Straw Hat has a piece of mirror in his hand!"

"It got stuck on my afro..." Luffy panted, "When I was in your mirror room…"

"You… Little… Shit…" Foxy hissed as Luffy got back up to his feet and started to swing his fist around like a rope.

"Gomu Gomu no… Flail!" Luffy let his fist fly, nailing Foxy straight in the face with no effect.

Luffy's arm then snapped back to him as he turned around and started to walk away from Foxy, jumping up on the figure head.

"8 seconds," Zoro said calmly.

"Huh… Ah…" Usopp pointed at Luffy, but look at Zoro.

"Is this the end!" bird-man gasped.

"7," Sanji sighed.

"Hmph?" Nami questioned.

"6." Robin smirked.

"BOSSSS!"

"5!" Usopp and Chopper cheered, and I joined in with a bark.

"What are you staring at!" Usopp snapped at the crowd. "Count with me!"

"4!" Everyone joined in this time.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

Foxy went flying up in the air and over the side of the boat just as Luffy threw his arms up and screamed, "YEAAAAAAAH!"

"ALRIGHT!" Nami, Usopp and Chopper all cheered.

'_WOOT! GO LUFFY!_' I howled, throwing my head back.

"WAIT! THAT'S OUT BOSS FLYING!" Foxy's crew cried out in shock.

"Boss is sent flying!" Itomimizu yelled.

"BOSS!"

**SPLASH**

Foxy landed in the water and all of Foxy's crew gaped in shock at seeing their captain being beaten.

"The point of landing is outside the battlefield!" Itomimizu announced. "For the fateful battle of the Third Round of this Davy Back Fight, the Captain VS Captain combat round, our boss, Foxy, has tragically fallen after 920 straight wins! The winner of this round is Straw Hat Luffy!"

* * *

><p>"You really made me worry back there!" Usopp snapped out our unconscious captain, poking his cheek over and over again.<p>

"You're poking too hard! Are you trying to kill him!" Chopper panicked.

"I was scared too," Nami sighed from her place sitting near Luffy's feet. "All that talk about the afro making you strong…"

"Nami, the afro does make you strong!" Sanji protested.

'_Mmm, bloody idiot scared us all. I knew he'd do it, but still_,' I grumbled, my head resting on Luffy's thigh.

"Ah, he woke up!"

Luffy's eyes slowly started to open before he jumped up into a sitting position, forcing me to pull my head off his leg. "Huh! The game! What happened to the fight! Didn't I win! Was I dreaming!"

"Relax, you won," Zoro laughed.

Wordlessly Luffy flopped back to the ground and I dropped head back on his leg. "That's good."

"I wasn't worried for a second," Usopp boasted.

"My ass," Sanji snorted.

"I thought about it. If I left this ship, I'd have no point being a pirate anymore," Zoro grumbled.

"Boss, you should be resting!" a voice protested and we all glanced to the side in time to see Foxy approaching us. He looked like he'd seen better days, but he was still moving so he couldn't be that bad off. When the crew saw him, they all tensed up. Zoro put his hand on the hilt of his sword with a glare and Usopp slipped into a cowering fighting position. I pressed myself closer to Luffy, lifting my head off of his leg and placing one of my paws possessively across his stomach with a growl aimed at Foxy and his crew.

"Hey, Straw Hat!" Foxy called, stopping in front of us with his crew behind him. "It's all because of you that I've lost my perfect record. Not bad, brother."

Foxy held out his hand towards Luffy, and odd look on his face. I snarled at the stupid fox, flashing him my teeth as he looked down on us. My growl cut itself off when Luffy placed his hand on the top of my head, ruffling the fur in a cue for me to get off him. Reluctantly I pulled back, but not before rubbing the top of my head against his palm.

Luffy sat up, but didn't stand as he took Foxy's offered hand. "Pfft," Hamburg and Porche snickered and I knew something was up.

"Eat this!" Foxy yelled, spinning around with a grip on Luffy's arm, trying to throw him over his shoulder. "Overhead throw of vengeance!"

**THUNK**

Luffy's arm stretched harmlessly and Foxy ended up smacking his head against the ground.

"Idiot," Zoro sighed.

'_Cheap mother…_' I snarled, trailing off when I thought of Chopper.

"Fine!" Foxy snapped, letting go of Luffy's arm and pushing himself back up. "Let's just get this over with! What do you want!"

"That's right!" Urgh, I thought I'd heard the last of the bird-man. "The last part of the game still needs deciding. The winner. Captain Straw Hat gets to take a new crew member! They seem to be looking for a shipwright. In that case, will they take the leader of our 50-men mechanic team, Sonieh? Or will they take the battle ready shipwright, Donobam? Or, the downright sexy shipwright, Gina? Only the captain can decide who to pick! Now, please decide!"

Luffy stood up and I quickly place myself by his side, hovering against the side of his leg as I glared at the Foxy Pirates. Luffy smirked and chirped, "I choose your flag!"

"WHAT!" everyone yelled.

"Hey, Luffy!" Sanji snapped, spinning on Luffy. "Think again! Isn't sexy Gina a lot better! You won't get another chance at this!"

"If we had fought for something like that, it wouldn't be worth it." Luffy smiled innocently.

"Phew," Nami sighed.

"You're… Evil!" Foxy protested. "You didn't even give it a thought and you want to rob us of our pride!"

'_PRIDE!_' I snapped, my temper exploding. '_WHAT FUCKING PRIDE! YOU'RE A BUNCH OF CHEATING SCUM!_'

"I don't want your sail," Luffy reasoned. "Just the flag. Otherwise you won't be able to leave, right?"

"How thoughtful…"

"But our symbol is on our sail! We won't be able to use that!"

"Yeah! Stop pretending to be nice! Just take everything!"

"Okay, okay. I'll just erase your symbol for you," Luffy answered. "Then I'll give you a new one. That way you will be able to use your sail."

"Straw Hat… You're so nice!" Foxy gasped.

* * *

><p>"I see," Nami mumbled. "So this is why you accepted the challenge." After the Foxy Pirates had left, with a new <em>design<em> on their flag, Luffy had taken us to an old man's house. Apparently the man had been stuck on stilts for a long time and his horse, who looked like a giraffe, waited for him the whole time. Luffy saved him, according to him, although it was probably a freak accident, and then Foxy had come along and shot the horse. Luffy got pissed and accepted the challenge. Now the old man wanted to rejoin his friends and family who were on another island nearby. Simple. "But, an idiot like you would've accepted it either way."

"Hey!" Luffy snapped. "Respect your captain!"

"Why don't we take you to your people on our ship?" Nami asked the old man.

"No… These ten islands are actually the same one. The Log Pose won't point to them individually," Usopp argued.

"No problem, no problem," the old guy laughed. "I'm an easy-going guy. I'm not in a hurry. While you are all here, allow me to treat you with something nice!"

"What do you have? That cheese again?" Usopp asked sceptically.

"Haha!" the old man laughed, walking towards his door only to run face first into the legs of a tall man that was standing in the way of his door.

"Zzzz." The tall wan was sleeping, a sleep mask over his eyes as he stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Wa! What is that!" The old man gaped, bending his head back to stare.

"It's a person!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Was he there the whole time?" Nami questioned.

The man suddenly seemed to wake up because of the loud noise and he pulled up his mask, glancing at us curiously. "Huh? Who the heck are you?"

"That's what we were asking you!" several people snapped.

"Ah… Ah!" Robin gasped, her legs giving out on her as she collapsed to the ground in fear. Her whole body was shaking, wide eyes staring at the man that was the source of her fear.

Before my mind had fully processed the idea that Robin was scared, my body had acted. I threw myself in front of the fallen woman, peeling back my lips to snarl at the strange man. Robin was not one to show emotion very often, so for her to be scared… It must be serious.

"Robin!" Luffy gasped, glancing between his crew member and the strange man. Wordlessly Zoro put his hands on the hilt of his sword, glaring dangerously as the stranger. Even Usopp had pulled out his slingshot, aiming one of his bullets at the man.

"What's wrong Robin!" Sanji called out.

"Ararararara," the tall man laughed, looking right over my head at Robin. "You sure have grown into a fine young woman, Nico Robin."

'_Who the hell…_' I snarled, my tail swishing aggressively as all my fur stood on end.

"Robin!" Luffy called again in a serious voice. "What's wrong? Do you know this guy!"

Robin just stared at him with wide eyes, clearly scared, as the odd man said, "We've met once before."

"To terrify Robin to this extent!" Nami gasped as everyone continued to stand on guard, their fists and weapons aim towards him. "Who is he!"

"Ararara," he laughed, holding up his hands in a surrender gesture. "Chill~ Chill~ Little boys and dogs shouldn't be so aggressive. It's not like I was ordered to come here. I'm only here for a walk."

"Ordered? Who do you work for!" Zoro demanded.

"The Marines…" Robin answered, finally speaking up. "He's a Supreme Admiral of the Marine Headquarters."

"SUPREME ADMIRAL!"

'_Who…_'

"Sup… Supreme Admiral… as in…" Sanji stuttered. "The highest ranking fighters of the marine?"

"In the entire Marine Navy, there are only three people with the title of 'Supreme Admiral'. Akainu, the red dog. Aokiji, the blue pheasant. Kizaru, the yellow monkey. The only superior to them is Sengoku, the Commander in Chief. Those three men are crowned the title "Ultimate Assault Force" by the World Government, and he is one of them!"

"What is someone like him doing here!" Usopp yelled, ducking behind Zoro to hide. "There are plenty of pirates worth more than 100 million. Go get them! Just leave us alone!"

"Ohh! What do we have here? Another sexy lady!" Aokiji turned his attention to Nami and I had to shove down the urge to run over and jump in front of her too. She could take care of herself, it was Robin I was worried about.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!" Sanji raged.

"PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I SAY DAMMIT!" Usopp snapped.

"I told you to chill, kids," he sighed. "You are the ones who should learn to listen. I told you that I am only here for walk. No need for such hostility. What I'm trying to say is that you guys are… I forgot… Oh well."

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE!" Sanji and Usopp protested at the same time.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken Robin!" Usopp asked, pointing at the tall marine. "There's no way that someone like him can be a Supreme Admiral of the Marines!"

"Hey, hey," Aokiji protested. "Don't judge people by their cover. I always uphold the model of "Uptight with Absolute Justice"."

"I can see that!"

"Oh well," Aokiji suddenly knelt down onto the ground. "My legs are tired from standing. Time to rest…" He laid himself across the ground, slipping down his sleeping mask as he rested his head on his arm. "Anyways, I do not intend to arrest you… So chill. I'm only here to confirm the whereabouts of Nico Robin after the Alabasta incident. I thought she would be with you."

"You're really not here to pick a fight?" Sanji asked.

"He just doesn't like a 'Supreme' Admiral to me…" Luffy muttered.

"I'm only going to report the discovery so they can recalculate the bounty for your group." Aokiji said. "One more person will increase it by… 160 million plus 79 million would be… Too hard to count. It's roughly the same amount."

"Too lazy to count?" Zoro grumbled.

'_It's 239 million_...' I mumbled grumpily.

"Gomu Gomu…"

"Wait! Luffy! Don't do it!" Usopp and Sanji both jumped on Luffy, restraining him so that he couldn't pick a fight with the man who was trying, unsuccessfully, to take a nap.

"Hm?"

"Let go of me!" Luffy struggled, swinging his fists. "Let me go!"

"Don't start an unnecessary fight!" Sanji argued struggling to hold Luffy.

"He's a "Supreme" Admiral for God's sake!" Usopp yelled.

"So what!" Luffy replied, not giving up. "I still won't let him take Robin!"

"You're mistaken," Aokiji sighed yet again waving a hand. "I already said that I don't want to do anything…"

"I'M GOING TO SEND YOU FLYING!" Luffy cried before finally settling down enough for Usopp and Sanji to deem it safe to let him go. Luffy, nostrils still flared in anger, took two steps forward before pointing to the horizon. "Go take your walk elsewhere! You're not welcome here!"

"You're overreacting…" Aokiji sweat-dropped.

I snorted prissly, still not moving from my place in front of Robin. '_Overreacting? Yeah, right. Luffy's correct, get lost!_'

"Why does it feel like Luffy is winning the argument…" Nami mumbled.

"Okay, okay," Aokiji finally conceded. "I'll leave… But I overheard something while I was napping… You." He pointed at the old man. "I wasn't in a deep sleep, so I heard what you said. Pack up and get ready to move."

"No!" Luffy yelled. "Don't listen to him! He's from the Marines! The Marines!"

"…" The old man just stared dumbly at Luffy for a few seconds. "Why not?"

"Oh!" Luffy slammed his fist into his palm. "That's right! You can listen to him. Normally the Marines are the good guys and we're the bad guys!"

"This is no time for jokes!" Usopp scolded.

"He sounds like he wants to help the old guy!" Luffy chirped, smiling again.

'_Mood swings, Luffy, learn how to control them… You're worse than a PMS-ing woman sometimes_,' I grumbled.

"That's impossible to do," Usopp argued.

"Basically you want to catch up to the people who moved when you were stuck here," Aokiji continued. "You plan to push to the 3rd island after this one, and that you need to wait until low tide to ride your horse across? But that horse's leg is wounded, correct?"

"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "And that is why moving is impossible now."

"It'll be fine," the lazy man shrugged.

"That doesn't sound convincing at all!" Usopp replied.

"It's true…" Robin spoke up again. "With his help, it's possible."

* * *

><p>"Okay, we're here."<p>

The old man was all packed and we had all gathered at the edge of the island where the old man was planning to cross when the tide went down. The water was almost up to the top of the ramp though, so crossing right now would be near impossible.

"The tide will subside once a year and a road will appear when it does, yes?" Aokiji confirmed. "It sure feels good to work out once in a while."

"It sure is!" Luffy agreed. "So you're a nice person after all!"

"Thank you for helping me," the old man thanked us, before offering us some old mouldy cheese. "Here, have some cheese."

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!" Usopp snapped at him.

"Now they're acting like friends…" Nami pointed out, standing back away from the guys with Robin and I. I had been shadowing Robin's steps the whole time since that guy showed up, and I was sending him dirty glares whenever I got the chance. I just wanted him to disappear off the face of the planet.

"So, what now?" Luffy asked Aokiji, pointing to the trailer full of the old man's stuff. "Are you going to pull everything along while you swim across?"

"No, that impossible," he replied before walking up to the edge of the water. "Move away for a little bit please." He squatted down, slipping his hand into the water.

**SPLASH**

"ROAR!" I jumped as a giant sea-king rose out of the water right in front of the Marine, roaring its challenge. Aokiji didn't even flinch.

"AH! It's the sea-king that lurks around here!" the old man yelled.

"Get away from it!" Usopp cried.

"Watch out!" Luffy warned.

'_Eat him_!' I silently cheered for the sea-king.

"Ice Age." The whole sea, monster and all, were suddenly frozen over in the blink of an eye. As far as the eye could see, it was just ice. Everyone gaped at the same time, staring in shock at the show of power from the Marine.

"Devil fruit!" Usopp gasped. "The sea… Froze over!"

'…_Damn!_'

"Elemental class, the freezing power of the 'Hie Hie no Mi*'," Robin explained. "This is the power of an Admiral of the Marine Headquarters."

Aokiji pulled his hand out of the icy water, straightening back up before walking towards us. "That should hold for about a week… You can take your time. Good luck locating your village. It's a little cold by the way… You should wear more clothing."

"Is this a dream!" the old man muttered. "The sea became an ice land… Sherry, we can cross the sea now! After 10 long years we can finally reunite without friends! Thank you! Thank you so very much for this miracle!"

Aokiji just waved and kept walking away from us. I hoped that was the last we'd see of him. It'd make Robin feel better to not have him around.

* * *

><p>"Alright, we'll be going now," the old man informed us after we'd helped him shift his gear onto the ice.<p>

"Okay, good luck old guy and horse," Luffy said.

'_Luffy, I'm sure they have names…_' I sighed. '_It's rude to call them that._'

"I really can't thank you enough…" he said. "If it wasn't for you, I would still be stuck up there. Thanks again!" The started to walk away, dragging his stuff along with him. "I won't forget you guys!"

"Be careful!"

"Take care!"

"Don't play with stilts again!"

We all watched him until he was out of sight, waving while Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy shouted goodbyes. Once he was gone, we all turned around and made our way back up onto the grass of the island.

"Wah! So cold!" Usopp complained, wrapping his arms around himself.

"It became winter all of a sudden," Luffy agreed, pausing when he saw who was waiting for us on land. "Hm?"

I slipped back in front of Robin, my ears flat against my skull. I hoped I saw the last of Aokiji, but he came back and waited for us. He was currently sitting calmly on the grass with his legs crossed. Aokiji stared at us for a few seconds before dropping his gaze and scratching the top of his head.

"What?" Luffy questioned, unsure how to react.

"How should I say this…" Aokiji mumbled. "You and you Grandfather are really alike Monkey D. Luffy. Is it open-minded…? Or is it absent-minded?"

"G-Grandpa!" Luffy choke, looking shocked at the mention of his grandfather.

"Luffy's Grandfather?" Usopp asked. "Eh, Luffy, why are you sweating so much?"

"N… Nothing!" Luffy protested, waving his hands in the air. "It's… Just… Uh…"

"I dealt with your Grandpa a long time ago," the Marine continued. Even though I only came to see Nico Robin… Maybe all of you should just die here and now."

* * *

><p>*Noro Noro Beam: Slow Slow Beam (Noro means "Slow" in general).<p>

*Kyubi Rush and Megaton Kyubi Rush: Nine-Tails Rush. Named after the Nine-Tailed Fox from Japanese mythology.

*Hie Hie no Mi: Ice Ice Fruit (FUNimation) or Chilly Chilly Fruit (Viz) depending on the translation. Turns the user into a "Freezing Human." **(Beta Note:** There's one person you might not want to get a hug from.**)**

**Beta read by praeses (For the record, the whole "Why does everything sound better in French" was a rhetorical question. *sigh* Never mind. Just never mind...)**


	48. Frog BBQ

**I am, so, so, so, sorry! Please don't kill me! ;~; I've been so tardy with my updates. I've just been swamped with school work, social problems and doctors. I can't see the next chapter being up any time soon to be honest. I swear I WILL get it up, I just don't know when. I am so sorry. Oh, and this chapter is a lot shorter than usual. Again, please forgive me.**

* * *

><p>"The Government isn't taking you seriously," Aokiji continued, still sitting cross legged on the grass as we stood before him. I was mentally calling him every bad word I knew whilst standing in font of Robin. "After carefully analysing the situation, it has become obvious that you are a very determined group of individuals… Your group currently consists merely of a handful of rogues, yet judging from the degree of trouble you've been causing… There is little doubt that as time passes, you will become an acute threat. In the time between issuing the first bounty on a member of your party, to the present time… Your growth, so to say, has been quite extraordinary. And though you have so far limited yourself to fighting other pirates, I am concerned with what the future holds once you grow tired of your prey and search for new game."<p>

"Wh…Why are you saying all this!" Usopp panicked, holding his hands up in front himself whilst waving them. "Aren't you only here for a walk!"

"Your party is now especially dangerous," Aokiji continued, "because of you… Nico Robin.

"So you came to take Robin away after all! I'm gonna send you flying!" Luffy yelled at the marine.

"The size of your bounty does not only reflect the threat of your combat abilities pose," Aokiji said, speaking just to robin. "It also goes to show how dangerous you are to the government. And even though you were only eight years old… You had such a high bounty on your head. As a child you were a true survivor… Betraying you partners and using them as tools… After the recent feat of survival you have undertaken… Are these the new tools that you have chosen to manipulate to achieve your goals!"

"You freaking asshat!" Sanji swore and Usopp grabbed into him, holding him back. "Don't you dare say things like that! What did Robin ever do to you!"

'_That's not for you to decide! Whether or not she is using us is for us to deal with, not you!_' I snarled, kneading my claws into the ground.

"Calm down, Sanji!" Usopp begged.

"She didn't do anything to me…" Aokiji answered. "She only escaped once after I arrested her… But that's a long story. One that you will eventually learn. That woman's curse will bring that day to pass soon enough. Here's the proof; every group that Nico Robin has ever associated with has ended up completely annihilated, always leaving her as the sole survivor. Why is that so, Nico Robin?"

"Shut up you!" Luffy yelled. "What happened in the past doesn't matter!"

"I see," Aokiji sighed. "You have already earned the trust of these people…"

"What are you trying to do!" Robin finally yelled, crossing her arms over her chest. "You want to arrest me? Come get some! Treinta Fleur*!" Multiple arms shot out of the ground and out of Aokiji, grasping him.

"Robin! Don't do it!" Usopp yelled, clutching his head.

"Ararara," Aokiji laughed calmly. "It seems that I have said too much. How disappointing… I though you would be smarter than this…"

"CLUTCH!" The arms tightened, bending Aokiji backwards in a position that would have broken a normal man's back. Aokiji's body crackled, shattering into shards of ice before falling to the ground in a pile.

'_No way! It can't be that easy!_' I gaped.

"Waaah!" Chopper cried, eyes bulging out. "He died!"

"This is bad Come on, run! We have to get out of here!" Usopp called.

'_No, look…_' A shape started growing out of the pile of ice, slowly taking on a human form as Aokiji regenerated.

"Hmm, that was harsh." He straightened himself back up, shards of ice clinging to his clothes. He then reached down and clasped some of the grass, yanking it out of the ground. Aokiji threw it up in the air, blowing towards the floating blades of grass. His breath, thanks to the help of his devil fruit powers, turned the grass blades into a solid ice sword. "Ice Saber. I wasn't planning on killing you, but…"

As he went to swing the sword at Robin and I, Zoro appeared in front of us, blocking the ice sword with one of his Katana. I quickly jumped into action, straight after Zoro moved. I charged forward, tucking in my head in an attempt to headbutt the marine in the knees to knock him off balance.

"SLICE SHOOT!" Sanji yelled, jumping up in the air and sweeping his leg down towards Aokiji.

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy charged, flinging back his fist.

Aokiji dropped his sword, causing Zoro to stumble for a step before Aokiji reached out and wrapped one of his hands around Zoro's forearm. With his other hand, he caught Sanji leg, stopping his kick in mid-air. Just as my head was about to make contact, he lifted up his leg faster than what I could follow, sweeping my feet out from under me with his foot. I hit the ground roughly on my side, his foot placing itself in my chest to pin me to the ground.

"Bullet!" Luffy finished, flinging his fist into Aokiji's stomach. All four of us made sounds of pain when ice started crawling up our bodies from the point that was in contact with Aokiji. Luffy's fist, Zoro's arm, my chest, and Sanji's leg was encased in ice as the yelled in pain. I let out a shocked yelp, my chest tightening as the ice crept over it.

"Gyaaaah!" Usopp yelled. "He froze them!"

"He took down the four of them with one strike!" Nami yelped as Aokiji threw the other three of them to the ground near me, lifting his foot off my chest. All of us were still crying out in pain as the ice burnt through our clothes and fur and into our skin. Because of the shock of the cold, I had exhaled as the ice had encased my chest, and now it had tightened, I couldn't breathe in. To get air in my lungs, my rib cage needed to be able to expand, but the ice made that impossible.

"This is bad!" Chopper flailed his arms. "We have to treat them immediately or their hands, chests, and legs will never heal!"

"You've got some good friends this time," Aokiji said, turning his attention back to Robin as ice started to crawl all over his body. "But… You're still yourself, Nico Robin."

"You're wrong…" Robin protested, her voice shaking. "I have…

Aokiji cut her off by leaning forward, wrapping his arms around her like he was trying to hug her. Ice crept from his body, seeping onto Robin's body.

"Robin! Get away from him!" Luffy screamed, trying to push himself off the ground.

"ROBIN!" Sanji yelled, clutching his leg.

'_ROBIN!_' I tried to howl in rage, but I couldn't manage to get enough breath to even do that.

Robin didn't manage to escape in time. Ice covered her whole body, leaving her as a frozen statue. Aokiji let go of her, stepping back as Luffy finally managed to get back to his feet. "YOU BASTARD!"

"Chill, kid…" Aokiji scolded. "If you thaw her properly, she'll live. However, her body is very brittle right now. If she breaks apart, she'll die. Like if I were to, oh let's just say, smash her like this…" He pulled back his fist, aiming it at the frozen Robin.

'_DON'T!_' I begged, struggling back up to my feet.

"YOU!" Luffy yelled. "STOP!"

"ROBIN!" Usopp, Nami and Chopper gasped.

Just as Aokiji swung his fist, Luffy grabbed Robin on his knees, bending over backwards with frozen Robin resting on his chest. "That was close…"

Aokiji just lifted up foot, getting ready to stamp it down on Robin and Luffy.

"GYAAAA!" Usopp screamed, dashing past and grabbing Robin. Aokiji's foot landed on Luffy, stomping him into the ground as Usopp got away with Robin and ran back to Chopper and Nami.

"Usopp! Chopper! G… Get back to the ship! Start thawing Robin!" Luffy ordered.

"R…Roger!" Both of them called.

"For God's sake…" Aokiji sighed. "Don't save a woman like her."

Nami stepped up in front of Aokiji, swinging her pole at the marine. Aokiji just raised his hand and blocked it, staring at Nami. "Thanks for the suggestion, but no thanks," Nami said. "The pirate world is supposed to be filled with women like her."

Aokiji just grasped the pole before swinging it to the side, sending Nami flying back into the ground. "Stand aside, Little Miss!"

"Ah!" Nami gasped, impacting with the ground.

"NAMI!" Sanji called, finally back on his feet as he charged at Aokiji. Zoro was also up again by this point, and he rushed Aokiji as well. I was back on my feet, although black was eating at the corner of my vision due to the lack of air I was getting. Nevertheless, I advanced on Aokiji with the other two.

"WAIT, YOU THREE!" Luffy yelled causing us all to pause. "Don't fight him. I want to fight him alone!" Luffy slipped into a battle stance. "Let's settle this one on one."

"Fine with me, but be warned, this will be a battle to the death," Aokiji warned.

'_Urgh…_' Everything spun around me, my vision going black for a few seconds as my legs gave out on me. I slumped roughly to the ground, squeezing my eyes as I tried to stop the panic taking over my brain. My brain was currently screaming that it needed air, and since I couldn't give it air, it was starting to send the signals for my body to panic and go into self-preservation.

"Mamori!" Sanji called out in the background and I cracked one of my eyes open, although I could only seem smudges of colours.

"That dog… The ice on its chest is constricting its rib cage. It can't breathe. You might want to get it thawed out too, if you want it to live," Aokiji said.

"Zoro, Sanji, take Mamori back and get her thawed out too!" Luffy ordered.

'_Shit, I'm… Such a pain in… the ass…_' I grumbled mentally, my eye sliding closed as I passed out.

* * *

><p>'<em>Mmm<em>,' I mumbled, cracking my eyes open. '_Urgh, my head hurts._' When my vision cleared I noticed that I was in the kitchen, sprawled on the ground with a blanket over me. I lifted my head slowly up off my paws, flinching as my head yelled in protested, shortly followed by my ribs. I guessed they were still a little pissed off over the fact they couldn't breathe before…

I look around the room more and I noticed that Luffy and Robin were laid out on mattresses, both of them still passed out. I relaxed a bit when I realized they were both fine, meaning Aokiji hadn't killed either of them.

The door creaked open, and Chopper wandered in slowly, looking at Robin and Luffy. He then looked over at me and our eyes met. He seemed to freeze on the spot, his eyes going large as he gasped, "Mamori! You're awake! How are you feeling?" He quickly scrambled over to me, stopping right in front of me. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

I blinked owlishly, my brain still a bit sluggish as I stared at his hand. '_I can't see any fingers, Chopper…_'

"Oh no!" Chopper cried out, flailing his arms. "You did get brain damage! I couldn't get you breathing soon enough! Waa! It's all my fault."

'_Woah, woah, woah! Slow down Chopper!_' I argued back at him, trying to calm him and to get him to stop yelling. It was making my headache worse. '_Brain damage? What the hell are you talking about? You don't have fingers, you have hooves!_'

He paused before looking down at his hooves. "Oh."

I snickered, pushing myself back up to my feet as the blanket slipped off my back, pooling on the floor. '_You're too cute Chopper. I'm fine. I've just got a headache, that's the worst of it._'

"You should really lie back down! You're still sick! You weren't breathing for about 20 minutes before we managed to defrost your chest…"Chopper complained.

'_I'm fine, I swear to you. My brain was already messed up, so no major damage done. I think some fresh air will do me good actually_,' I responded, flashing him a smile. '_How are Robin and Luffy? And how long have I been out?'_

"They're both fine! Still unconscious, but alive," Chopper responded, looking at them. "And you've only be unconscious for one day."

'_Good, good_.' I nodded my head. '_Imma head outside now and get some fresh air. If you need any help, just call out._'

"Okay, but don't do anything too strenuous. You need to rest."

'_Got it, Doc!_' I chirped, trotting over to the door and pushing it open. I quietly slipped out, closing it behind me.

* * *

><p>"I CAN DIE HAPPY!" A loud voice I recognized as Sanji's screamed.<p>

"Shut up, bastard! I'm trying to sleep!" Zoro yelled at the cook.

I cracked my eyes open, a bit annoyed at having been woken up from my nap with Zoro. It had been several days since the fight with Aokiji, and we had decided to stay anchored off the island until Robin and Luffy were fully back up to strength.

"Yes, yes! I'm sorry for waking you up, Mr. Cactus!" Sanji said smugly, waving dismissively at Zoro.

"What's that, Dartboard!" Zoro snapped back and I sighed in annoyance. Those two idiots could never get along for well, even after they worked so well together to beat the Groggy Monsters.

"Is all you do sleep around here?" Sanji questioned, glaring at Zoro.

'_Oh come off it!_' I snapped mentally, flicking my tail in annoyance.

"I sleep whenever I want. Are you trying to pick a fight?" Zoro stood back up, facing off with Sanji.

I stood up, stepping between the two men whilst growling loudly at them. They both paused, looking down at me and I met their looks with a glare.

"Robin!" Nami exclaimed, drawing out attention. I turned to look at the door to the kitchen and I saw Robin standing there.

"Robin, how do you feel?" Chopper asked merrily. "Are you cold?"

"Thank to you I feel great now. Thanks, Doctor," Robin replied with a smile.

"Okay, but you should rest more," Chopper ordered, doing his happy dance.

"You look happy," Usopp pointed out.

"No, I don't! Idiot!" Chopper cried, still doing his dance.

* * *

><p>I was sitting up on the front deck, eating something Sanji had cooked up that was called Paille. I had no idea what it was, but anything that Sanji cooked tasted great, so I ate it with no complaints. Zoro was standing near me as well, eating his own meal. Usopp, chopper ad Luffy were on the lower deck, being as noisy as normal, thus why Zoro and I had retreated somewhere somewhat quieter. Sanji, Robin and Nami had been smart enough to go into the kitchen.<p>

"…What is that?" Zoro paused his eating.

'_Hm?_' I lifted my head up and followed his line of sight to the ocean in front of the boat. I stopped and stared for a few seconds, blinking owlishly as I tried to figure it out. I thought my eyes were deceiving me. It was a frog that was doing free style.

"IT'S A FROG!" Luffy yelled as he noticed it too. "A GIANT FROG! IT'S SWIMMING FREE STYLE! I WONDER WHERE HE'S GOING IN SUCH A RUSH!"

"Luffy, frogs don't swim in free style…" I heard Usopp say skeptically before there was a pause of silence. "AH! IT DOES!"

Luffy quickly jumped up and ordered the oars to be pulled out so that we could chase after the swimming frog. Zoro, Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp quickly got them out and started to sail the ship after the frog as fast as they could.

I couldn't help so I jumped onto the figurehead of the ship, carefully watching the frog as it continued to swim in front of us.

"Hey!" Nami yelled, slamming the kitchen door open. "Why are we changing direction!"

"Um, Nami, we found a huge frog with scars all over his body!" Luffy chirped. "We have to catch him for a BQQ no matter what!"

"You're going to eat it!" Chopper and Zoro exclaimed at the same time.

'_Typical…_' I grumbled, not taking my eyes off the frog.

"Hmm? Is that… A light tower!" Nami exclaimed and I guessed that she'd seen a light tower in front of us. My stupid short sighted dogginess made it impossible for me to see just yet. "Why is there a light tower in the middle of nowhere? I wonder who lives there."

"Did you find an island?" Chopper questioned and I smirked, realising that my doggie hearing had made me the only one to hear her.

"No, just a light tower!" she replied. "But the log pose isn't pointing to it..."

"What about the frog! Tell me where it is!" Luffy demanded as they continued to row the boat.

"The frog is going in the direction of the tower as well," Robin called out as she and Sanji walked out from the kitchen.

"First you wash the frog with white wine. Then you coat it with flour and fry it…" Sanji mumbled to himself.

"Wait, Robin! Sanji!" Nami protested but it was too late.

'_What is that… _'I mumbled to myself when I heard a strange noise in the distance.

"FULL SPEED AHEAD!" Luffy yelled and the others complied, getting closer and closer to the light tower.

"What is wrong with all of you!" Nami snapped in annoyance.

"Hold up everyone! Do you hear a strange noise?" Sanji asked when he noticed it too. The sound kept getting closer and close and everyone else started to notice it as well.

"Eh? What is that?" Chopper gasped.

"Gero!" the frog cried out as it jumped out of the water in front of us. It then landed on something under the water, facing towards the oncoming noise.

'_What in the world… Something's not right here…_' I growled suspiciously.

"Oh! The frog stopped! Let's get him!"

_**CHOO CHOO**_

'_OH FUC-'_

"BACK! BACK! TURN 180 DEGREES!"

I jumped off of the figurehead as a train came flying out from under a bridge on the floating light station. I hit the deck, dropping to the ground and digging my claws into the wood as the train went flying towards us. Everyone else panicked, speeding up the oars to try and get themselves out of the way.

"WAAAAH!"

I felt the boat being jerked roughly as the train speed past, the wind rushing past us as such a speed that it nearly lifted my small frame off the deck. I could hear some of the other crying out in shock and then I felt the boat smash back down on the water.

"WHAT WAS THAT!"

'_Holy sugar honey ice tea_,' I panted, my eyes snapping back open as I jumped up to my feet.

"AH!" Luffy yelled. "HEY! FROG, GET OUT OF THERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

I snapped my head around to the side in time to see the frog standing on the water in front of the large train, not moving a muscle.

"What's that big metallic thing! A ship?"

"No…With its shape… It shouldn't be able to sail on the sea!" Nami gasped loudly.

"GEROH!" the frog called it challenge and the train just went flying through it, sending the frog flying into the air.

"WAAH! HE GOT HIT!" Luffy panicked as the frog fell into the water and the train continued to rush past us. Since echoed for a second as the train went speeding into the distance and everyone was staring in confusion and shock. "That ship was blowing smoke…"

'_It's not a ship. It's a train,_' I grumbled, sending the others an odd look. Had they never seen a train before?

"Ah!" A little girl cried as she exited the building on the light tower platform, taking one look at us before turning back around to the door and yelling, "It's terrible! Granny! Granny! Pirates!"

"What! Really, Chimney!" an old lady gasped as she stumbled out of the building, a weird looking bunny following her. "Alright, hold on!"

"Someone came out of the building! She is calling for reinforcements..." Zoro said in a tense manner. I ran down the stairs so that I was on the main deck with the others.

"Ah…Hey… Hm! What were you yelling about?" the old lady burped, flopping to the ground. "I forgot."

"You're too damn drunk!" Usopp snapped.

'_Why can we never meet normal people?_' I sighed, eyeing the girl, drunk old lady and bunny.

* * *

><p><strong>*Trienta Fleur: Thirty Flowers.<strong>

**Beta read by praeses**


	49. Usopp-Imposter

"Paille?" the old woman questioned as she munched on some of Sanji's cooking. "This tastes great with rum."

"Wow~ De-li-cious!" the little girl agreed. "I'm Chimney! This is Gonbe, the cat. And that's my granny, Kokoro!"

We'd docked the ship next to the platform that had a house and the light tower, and Nami, Usopp, Luffy and I had jumped off of the ship to try and talk to the drunken old lady.

'_Cat_…' I blinked owlishly, eyeing the creature that was clearly a rabbit, not a cat.

"I thought you were train robbers! Kakaka!" The old woman laughed casually, taking a swing out of her rum bottle.

"I'm Luffy and I'm going to be the Pirate King," Luffy answered without hesitation.

"Really!" the little girl gasped.

"Yup," Luffy replied.

"Kakaka, you're funny!" Kokoro slurred drunkenly.

"Um…" Nami mumbled. "Chimney, that was a steam-power boat, right? But with its shape, how was it able to float."

'_Train_,' I grumbled, sure that I had seen a train on the water.

"You've never seen it before?" Chimney asked. "I guess you don't see that anywhere else in the world! That's a Sea Train. Its name is Puffing Tom."

"Puffing Tom?" Nami repeated.

'_Told you~_' I sung mentally.

"It's a steam-powered car that moves on the railroad in the sea," the little girl explained.

"A railroad!" Nami exclaimed.

'_Of all the weird things we've seen, this shocks you the most…_' I deadpanned.

"Yeah, it's just beneath the surface of the water," she continued. "The train moves from island to island every day, transporting passengers between islands. Sometimes it transports mail and packages too."

I got up and walked to the edge of the platform. Looking into the sea, I saw the rail line under the water. Nami walked over next to me and looked at it as well. "Wow! There really is a railroad!"

"Yes! And you sailed right onto the railroad! That was dangerous!" Chimney scolded.

"But, no matter how much you warn it, the frog won't understand!" Luffy protested. "Then your train rammed it and sent it flying! That was rude!"

"Ah…" the little girl mumbled. "His name is Yokozuna. He has been a nuisance for a long time. He likes to compete his strength with the others, and he has been trying to beat the train. He won't die from a crash like that. He will come back again."

"Compete!" Luffy gasped. "So that's why he didn't run away! That's some very cool fighting spirit!"

"What!" she snapped. "He causes nothing but a headache! He broke the front of the train so many times already! Every time he tried it, he frightens the passengers too!

"Is that so…" Luffy paused to consider something for a few seconds. "I don't eat hardworking animals! I won't eat him!"

"You shouldn't be eating frogs in the first place!" Nami yelled at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So… Where do you want to go? If you take the next train you can go to the Town of the Spring Queen, St. Poplar, then the Gourmet City, Pucci, and finally the Carnival City, San Faldo. All of them are very interesting places. If you are a Government official, you can take a special train too…"

"Ehh! The Gourmet City!" Luffy gasped.

"Don't even think about it!" Nami smacked him over the back of the head before sighing. "We have a ship so we can't take a train. Besides, we have to follow the log pose."

"Oh? Where is your log pose pointing?" Kokoro asked.

"To the West," Nami answered.

"Oh. Then you are going to Water Seven. The train you saw actually came from the Blue Station there! That place is true to its nickname, the City of Water. It is a city with the world's best ship factories. The ships that they make are trusted by even the World Government."

"Oh! Then there are good shipwrights there!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement and my ears perked up. Talk about coincidence.

"Kakaka! Not just good!" she laughed in reply. "That place is where you'll find the world's best shipwrights!"

"Usopp!" Luffy called out as he spun around to face our sniper.

"Yeah!" Usopp yelled, getting excited as well.

"…Alright, it's decided! We're going to go there and find a shipwright to be our nakama!"

* * *

><p>We'd quickly packed up and said good bye to the old woman, the <em>cat<em>, and the kid. She gave us some recommendation note that we were meant to give some guy so that we could get Merry looked at.

"Leave the shipwright search to me!" Sanji called out, pointing to himself. "I'll definitely find us the hottest babe around."

"Stupid!" Luffy taunted. "We need a super big man to be out ship mechanic. He has to be at least 5 meters tall."

'_He won't fit on the boat then, Luffy_,' I giggled, shaking my head.

Usopp, thinking along the same lines as me, said, "That's too much, Luffy. He won't fit into our little ship."

"None of that matters, as long as he or she is a good shipwright," Zoro pointed out. "The main concern should be whether or not anyone will want to join a group of pirates."

Luffy quickly pulled out a piece of paper and started to draw what he thought the Shipwright should look like. Zoro, getting bored of our conversation walked off. Robin, Sanji, Usopp, and I stayed around to see what Luffy would come up with.

"Look here!" Luffy held up the paper, showing off his drawing off some ugly giant monster that only vaguely resembled a human. "Let's find someone that looks like this!"

"…If I see someone who looks like that, I'll just turn around and run," Usopp complained, sweating.

"I would too," Sanji agreed. "I would jump into the sea if I had to. Although this guy looks like he's part octopus, so he would probably still come after me."

'…_Well, I don't care what they look like. Hell, I'm not exactly the most conventional character myself. So long as they do their job,_' I sighed, tilting my head to the side as I stared at Luffy's picture.

* * *

><p>"Land ho~ Land ho~" someone yelled out and I stuck my head out of the kitchen door. Everyone let out sounds of amazement and awe and my own eyes widened a bit when I saw what lay before us. It was a giant city that was built on water, much like Venice was. And, in the centre of the town, as the main feature, was a giant water fountain. It looked amazing.<p>

"Man! That looks like a metropolis!" Usopp gaped and I quickly dashed out of the kitchen, bounding to the front of the boat in excitement, my tail waving behind me like a banner. "No wonder the sea train goes here."

'_Look at it!_' I barked, jumping up on the railing next to where Usopp was standing. '_It's amazing!_'

"Look, over there it says 'Blue Station'," Nami pointed out as we started to sail down into one of the canals of the city. "So where is the dock? Maybe it's on the other side."

"Hey! You over there!" a voice called out and we looked to the side to see a fisherman in small boat to the left of us.

"Yah?" Luffy asked.

"Pirates can't go in from the front like that. Go from the back!" He pointed to a different direction casually and I blinked owlishly. Did a fisherman just give a bunch of pirates advice?

"Okay! Thank you!" Luffy called back and we changed our course through a different canal into the city. I stared in awe as the beautiful passed us on either side.

"Wow! Water Seven is so cool! This city is the best. Everything is floating on water, even the houses!" Chopper gasped.

"That's not it," Robin interrupted. "This city is just built on a sunken island. Look closely at the base of the buildings."

"Wow! Pillars!" Chopper exclaimed when he noticed what Robin was talking about. All the houses were held up out of the water by pillars.

"I see," Sanji mused. "That's why it's the city of water."

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered, throwing his arms up in the air. "Let's go find shipwrights!"

"Hey!" one of the locals called out from a side walk. "You can't anchor your ship there. What are you here for? Robbery?"

'…_What?_' I mumbled in disbelief at the attitude of the locals. '_Please let this not be like Whiskey Peak._'

"No. We just want to fix our ship," Luffy called back to him.

"Did he just ask if we want to rob him?" Usopp sweat-dropped.

"Head that way until you see a small peninsula!" the old man advised, pointing in another direction. "You can anchor there."

"Okay, thank you!"

'_What the hell is wrong with this place!_' I hissed suspiciously, glancing around.

* * *

><p>"I think this is it… Okay, pull the sail up," Nami ordered.<p>

Zoro grabbed the rope to the sail and started to pull, only for a great crack to echo around the area as the main mast snapped. Zoro and I both scrambled forwards at the same time to try and stop it toppling over. I placed my front paws on it, pushing against it, and Zoro did the same.

"Hey! What are you doing, stupid!" Usopp snapped.

"Uh…" Zoro hesitated. "I just tugged on it a little bit… That's surprising. I didn't think Going-Merry was in such bad shape…"

'_Me either…_' I admitted awkwardly, dropping back to all four paws as Zoro started straightening the mast back up.

"Why aren't people here scared of pirates?" Nami asked the question that was on everyone's minds.

"That's probably because pirates only come here for repairs," Zoro pointed out as Usopp hit him for breaking the mast.

"Maybe they have very strong guys to fight any pirates if necessary," Robin theorized.

"No doubt about that," Sanji agreed. "There must be strong guys everywhere in a big city like this."

"For real!" Usopp panicked, abandoning his abuse of Zoro. "Then isn't it dangerous here?"

"It should be fine because we're customers," Sanji reassured him.

"Really?" Usopp's eye lit up.

"Okay! Let's go!" Luffy order and he and Usopp jumped off of the Going-Merry and started to run off.

"Hold on! Luffy! Usopp! You're going to follow me!" Nami snapped at them, bringing them to a halt as she jumped off the boat as well. The three quickly walked away from the boat, leaving the rest of us to watch the boat.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Hey, Zoro!" Sanji called, drawing both of our attention. Zoro had decided to sit down on the front deck, leaning against the railing as he had a nap. I was lying atop the railing just behind him, my head resting on my paws as I tried to sleep as well. "Where's Robin? Is she on the ship?"<p>

"Hm, no, she went out with Chopper," Zoro replied, not even opening his eyes as Sanji came onto the front deck. I lifted up my head to stare silently at our chef.

"What!" Sanji yelped.

"They went off to buy some stuff," Zoro elaborated.

"This sucks, it means I'm stuck on this boat with you!" He messed up his hair in frustration.

"Same to you," Zoro sighed.

'_Wait… What about me?_' I grumbled, quirking and eyebrow.

"Oh! My darling princess, you're still here for me at least! I knew I could trust you!" Sanji was about to jump towards me in an attempt to hug me but I snarled, sending him an intimidating glare that clearly let him know that if he tried to touch me, I would bite him.

Sanji froze with his arms stretched out, laughing nervously. "Well then, I'm going to go shopping. Did you want to come with me, princess?" Sanji cooed, sending me a gooey look.

'_No thanks._' I shook my head, deciding to stay behind and guard the boat with Zoro. Who knows what'll happen when we're in a new place that we know nothing about.

"Oh…" he looked deflated. "Zoro, guard the boat and make sure nothing happens to my princess!"

'_Dammit! I can look after myself!_'

* * *

><p>Zoro and both noticed their approach, but without any sort of communication, we knew what our plan was. We both kept out breathing steady, not even twitching as the intruders approached up, drawing out their weapons.<p>

'_Hmm, lucky I did stay here_,' I purred mentally, my body itching to attack the people trying to sneak up on us. '_They're cowards to attack us while we sleep though._'

I heard one of them swing their weapon at Zoro, but Zoro beat them to it and drew one of his swords, blocking the attack without even opening his eyes. At the same time, a hand seized my tail, yanking it hard enough to pull me off the railing. Ever since the incident with the burnt tail, I hated people if they touch my tail. No one touched it and got away with it.

As I was dragged off, I thrust out my legs, propelling off the railing towards the person that had pulled my tail. I twisted around in the air, slamming my paws down on his face so I could use it as a jumping board. I sent my attacker sprawling on the ground, landing neatly next to Zoro. At the same time, both of us opened our eyes, glaring our attackers. There were at least 10 of them, all crowded on our deck.

"I thought you were asleep…" the one that had his sword locked with a sitting Zoro hissed.

"Who the hell are you?" Zoro demanded, pushing him back as he stood up and drew another sword.

"You asked who we were?" one of the group laughed. "We are bounty hunters, Pirate Hunter Zoro. Kids cry when they see us, we are the Franky Family! The 60 million bounty on your head is ours!"

Zoro and I glanced at each other, both of us slightly annoyed. '_The only reason kids would cry when they see you is because you are so damn ugly! You probably burn their eyes out!_'

"Then we'll hide in the ship," he continued, "and ambush the rest of the crew! Wahaha! We're going to be rich! We're so lucky! Kill them!"

The ringleader charged forward first, swinging his sword at Zoro who blocked it with ease. Neither of us flinched or wavered even the slightest. "More like unlucky," Zoro smirked as he pushed back against the attacker, sending him flying back through the air and into the sea.

"What! Charge! Get him!" The rest of them roared and charged towards us, so I jumped forward this time. It was my turn. Zoro had, had his fun.

I jumped up, through the air and bounced between them like a bouncy-ball, using random point of their bodies as launching points. I made sure to put extra strength into my kicks to make sure that I sent each of the sprawling as I flashed between them, faster than they could counter-attack.

"Nitōryū," Zoro muttered as they climbed back to their feet, I wandered back over his side, letting him finish them off. "Sai Kuru*!"

His two swords created a whirlwind like effect, sending them rest of the attackers flying off the boat and back into the water. The force as the attack pushed against me, but didn't sending me flying. Things suddenly went quiet again and Zoro sat back down where he was before, sighing about how boring that was. I with a grunt of agreement, I shook out my fur and jumped up onto the railing again, settling down for another nap.

* * *

><p>"Excuse me," another presence appeared on the boat all of a sudden, causing my eyes to snap open. Zoro also opened his eyes slightly and we both stared as the newcomer started walking around the boat.<p>

'_Usopp…_' I mumbled, staring at the long nose. '_What the hell are you wearing?_'

He made his way down to the lower deck and stopped at the mast. "It's worn down pretty badly. We'll need to replace the mast…"

At the same time, Zoro and my brains loaded fully and we both jumped up, Zoro drawing his weapons. "HOLD ON A MINUTE. WHO ARE YOU!"

'_You're not Usopp! You smell different! And you talk more intelligently!_' I growled, jumping over onto the railing that looked over the bottom deck.

"Oh. Sorry, did I wake you up?" the Usopp-imposter asked.

'_No shit!_'

* * *

><p>"This ship is…" Sanji mumbled after Zoro told him what the Usopp-imposter had told us.<p>

"They can't repair it? Even if we pay them? Why did it end up like this…?" Chopper gasped.

'_I don't know Chopper, I don't know,_' I sighed, jumping off the railing as I walked over to him. I buried my face into the soft fur of his chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around me in a hug. Poor kid.

"I don't know. I wonder what Luffy and the others decided. Those three probably came up with a goof answer at the shipyard already," Zoro grumbled.

"Are you sure he wasn't just exaggerating? Just look!" Sanji insisted. "The ship looks as good as always. Didn't it make it all the way here from East Blue with us?"

"That is probably the reason why it's broken. A person gets stronger with wounds, but for a ship, the wounds only stack up and weaken it more and more…" Zoro explained.

"I just can't accept this," Sanji grunted. "I wonder what Usopp would think if he hears this…"

"But I like Merry very much!" Chopper protested as I pulled away from him.

"Merry is broken, Robin is missing… This afternoon is filled with trouble…"

"Everyone!" a worried voice called as it ran towards the boat. Sanji, Chopper and I ran over the railing.

"Nami's back!" Chopper exclaimed.

'_Something's wrong_,' I noted.

"Huh? Why are you alone?" Sanji asked. "Where are Luffy and Usopp? Nami! Did something happen?"

My stomach twisted. Today was not going well. First Robin has disappeared on us, and now Nami was alone. What in the world… Without a second thought I jumped over the railing and ran towards Nami, wanting to check that she was okay. If someone hurt her or the others, I was going to lose it.

* * *

><p><strong>*Nitōryū Sai Kuru:<strong> Literally,Two Sword Style Rolling Rhino. Or Rhino Cycle in the Viz and FUNimation translations. The pun here is in the Japanese pronunciation of "Sai Kuru" or rather "cycle".

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses.<strong>

**Translation notes also by praeses. All attack names are from the One Piece wiki.**


	50. Pissed Mamori

**Well, here is chapter 50... Wow. I can't believe that this is chapter 50. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago I was writing the first couple of chapters with not much intention to continue this beyond a few chapters. I guess I changed my mind somewhere along the line. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Stop! Stop!" Sanji ordered our bull that was flying along in the water, trying to find where Nami said Usopp was. Before the bull had even pulled up properly, I'd jumped out of the boat onto the sidewalk. Sanji and Usopp were not far behind. "Didn't Nami say that Usopp is somewhere around here?"<p>

"Usopp!" Chopper called out as we all scanned the area.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Zoro asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

My nose twitched when the smell of blood reached it and my stomach dropped.

"Like you're one to talk!" Sanji snapped back in the background.

'_Chopper,_' I whispered quietly as I pressed my nose close to the ground near the trail of blood. It was Usopp's blood.

"Look! Blood!" Chopper pointed it out to the others as my fur bristled.

"Did he go on his own?" Sanji gasped in worry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" a loud voice screamed above us, and we all looked up in time to see someone flying at us from above. The flying missile hit the wall and bounced into the canal while we stood there watching. The body quickly resurfaced, spluttering, "HELP."

"LUFFY?"

'_EVERY. FUCKING. TIME_,' I snarled, jumping into the water without a second thought so I could save my stupid captain. I dove under the water, grabbed onto the back of his shirt with my teeth and then I dragged him back over to the sidewalk. Sanji helped pull Luffy and I back up onto the land.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Sanji lectured as Luffy knelt on the ground coughing up water. I stood back, shaking the water out of my coat. "Where did you jump down from?"

"I tried to fly down, like carpenter guy, and find Usopp," he coughed before jumping up really quickly. "Ah! That's right! Usopp disappeared! He was kidnapped along with the money!"

"We know! We're going to their place right now. Usopp got beaten and the money got stolen," Sanji explained.

"Did he feel responsible and went to the Franky's place alone?" Zoro muttered, asking the question that was on all of our minds.

'…_Idiot. Bloody idiot.'_

* * *

><p>We found Usopp. Outside of the Franky's place. I went from being nervous and angry to being livid. I was so angry my body was shaking, my vision turning red. Usopp was in really bad shape, left to lay in a pool of his own blood on the ground. Chopper knelt down by his side to check on him, and the rest of stared solemnly at the scene.<p>

"Is he still breathing Chopper?" Luffy asked quietly.

"He's still breathing, but he's unconscious," Chopper replied. Chopper straightened back up, Zoro put his bandanna on his head, Sanji lit a fag, Luffy cracked his knuckles, and I kneaded my claws into the ground, still shaking. Shit was about to go down.

"Wait here a little bit, Usopp," Luffy said as we all turned around and started to walk towards the Franky's house, forming a straight line. Chopper on one end, then Zoro, then me in the middle, Luffy next to me, and Sanji on the end of the line.

As we reached the front door of the building, it swung out, allowing the noise from the inhabitants to spill out. Standing in the doorway, staring curiously down at us was a giant man who looked like he was just about to walk out before he saw us.

"Huh?" He blinked behind his goggles, but before he could say anything Luffy's fist went flying into his face with enough force to send the large man flying back into the building, crashing through tables. The rest of the people in the building jumped up to their feet, crying out in shock and demanding to know who did that. As the dust settled, they all gaped when they realized who it was.

"Yo-You're Straw-Hat Luffy!" one yelled in shock.

"Wahahaha! Are you here for the money? Look how many people we have!" a large man challenge as they all rallied up for a fight. "You only have four! Four little guys at that! And a flea-ridden mutt! I'll teach you a lesson, and then turn in your heads for the bounty money!"

My angry blue eyes flickered over my opponents, searching for any signs of weakness. Some of the men here were massive, almost to an inhuman degree. I snorted, throwing up my head as a stepped into the building with the others, '_The bigger they are, the harder they fall._' At the thought, a sadistic and twisted smile stretched over my muzzle. I want to make these people bleed for what they did to Usopp. I wanted to hear them _scream_.

"So you're that soft long-nose's captain?" the big man continued to run his mouth. "You must have a death wish to break in here with that level of strength. I'll give you a free hit, shortie."

Luffy walked right up to him, throwing his fists repeatedly in the large man's armour. "Gomu Gomu no…"

"Eh? What's he doing?" the man asked in amusement and Luffy's fists bounced straight off.

"Wahaha! He's going to use his fists! Not even a cannon can scratch that super armour!" Laughs echoed around the room. "Haha! I'm going to laugh to death!"

'_You_,' I purred mentally as my eyes flicked over to the noisy bastard, '_are the first on my hit list_.'

"That's enough, boy!" the large man finally called. "Let me show you how to fight correctly!" As he said that, Luffy slammed both his fist into the armour at the same time and a cracking sound echoed around the room. The men stopped laughing and started gaping as the giant man went flying back into the air, the front of his armour shattering under the hit.

"BAZOOKA!"

"AHH! HE BROKE THROUGH THE SUPER ARMOUR!" they screamed, scrambling out of the way of the falling body as it crashed to the ground. Some of the men ran behind some cannons that were set up around the room while others tried to stop us.

"My god!"

"What do we do!"

"Le…Le… Let's talk this out peacefully… Like gentlemen…."

Evil laughter filled my head, my blood humming through my body as my fury simmered. '_Oh, it's way too late for that now. The second you hurt my friend it became too late for talking._'

"FIRE!" a man ordered and the sound of cannons shooting echoed around the room. "Die suckers!"

The cannon balls flew towards us but no one so much as flinched as Zoro ran forward, his sword out and ready. "Santōryū Karasuma Gari*!" In a flurry of high speed moves, Zoro sliced all of the cannonballs evenly in half and they went flying to the sides of the room before they exploded.

Eyes bulged out of their heads as they gapped. "Th… Those cannon balls are made out of iron!"

Zoro didn't bother stopping there. Before they could even try and stop him, he sliced a cannon down the centre, rendering it useless.

"Oh my god! Even the cannon!" they squealed as they scrambled out of his way.

"This is bad! These people aren't normal! Escape through the back door!"

'_GO FUCK YOURSELVES. YOU CAN'T RUN FROM THIS!_' My last tiny of restraint snapped at the moment someone mentioned escaping and I charged toward the men as they tried to run away.

My body was a blur as I ran forward and Sanji ran with me as well. I dashed straight at the one that had laughed before and I jumped up onto his back as he tried to run, my front paws slapping on the back of his head with enough force to send his face flying down to meet the floor. The floor shattered under the impact of his face, blood flying out his mouth and nose. I bounced off, and twisted in the air as my back paws connected with another of the men's chins, my teeth lashing out to clamp onto the soft shoulder flesh of yet another man. A scream of pain echoed in my ears as the blood ran into my mouth and I could feel my heart thumping against my chest as my instincts ran rampant. While that was happening, I noticed that Sanji took out a large group of them as well.

"Go through the windows!"

I head-butted a man in the crotch as Chopper stepped in and cleared out the men that tried to run for the windows. Another well aimed bite and kick took down more men and I lapped up the satisfaction at the sounds of pain the made. I could have easily taken out more of them at once, and I could have done it faster, but it wouldn't be as painful for them. I was playing with them like a cat played with their food before they ate.

The men ran to the outside of the room to escape us and the five of us found ourselves standing in the middle of the room.

"Let's talk about this! We don't have to resort to violence!" one of them tried to reason, waving his hands in panic. "All you want is the money right. The 200 million we got from that Pinocchio guy? The truth is that money is not here anymore! Out boss, Franky, already took it and went shopping. He's probably already on his way in the sea train. We have no idea where he's going either! No matter how much havoc you wreak you can't get your 200 million back anymo-"

He didn't get to finish what he was saying because Luffy's fist flew across the room and slammed into his face, sending him back into the wall.

"You yap too much," Sanji hissed. "Also… It's not just about the money anymore…"

"That's right," Zoro agreed with the cook. If it wasn't for the circumstances, I would have been shocked. "You ticked us off."

Luffy clenched his fists. "We're going to pulverize you."

"Pulverize!?" one more cried out in fear.

"Idiot!" another scolded. "Don't get scared! That's what we're supposed to say to them! Don't forget that we're scavengers and bounty hunters! We're the Franky Family!"

"Eat this!" A large cannon was lit and it shot out a ton of different junk and weapons directly at us. "Anything Goes Shot Cannon!"

The five off us ran forward, either dodging or cutting our way through the stuff that was shot at us. I slipped and weaved between everything that flew at me with practiced ease, not even getting so much as a scratch as it exploded behind me.

"Here they come! Chop them into pieces!"

'_Oh, this is going to fun_. _Get ready to scream little piglets_.'

* * *

><p>By the time we were finished the Franky House was nothing more than a pile of rubble with bodies lying all over the place. We were all lingering around, trying to figure out what to do now. I was sitting back on my haunches next to Zoro, trying to clean off all the blood that was matting my coat.<p>

'_Hmmm, did I get a bit carried away_?' I wondered as I looked the splashes of red that colored my fur and drenched my muzzle. _'…Nah_.' I lifted up one of my paws and I started licking it like a cat would, trying to wash off the sticky substance. I didn't realize how much mess blood could make when it wasn't your own.

"Should we go after Franky?" Sanji asked.

"Where would we go?" Zoro countered.

"Dammit," the cook swore. "Those small fries really don't know the money is. And we can only take care of Franky after he's finished shopping…What now? Do we wait here? I don't think he'll be back any time soon…"

"Okay! I'm done!" Chopper called in the distance from where he'd been patching Usopp up. "Come help lift him!"

"We're just wasting time here. Let's go back," Sanji sighed. "Nami is alone on the ship and Robin is nowhere to be found. The ship itself is breaking down too…"

"The ship…" Luffy mumbled.

"Hm?"

"I've decided." We all looked up at out captain, waiting to see what he'd say. "It's time to say good-bye to Going Merry."

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, everyone! I lost our money!" the bandage-covered Usopp sobbed as he jumped out of his bed and attached himself to Zoro's leg. "We worked so hard to get that money and I just gave it all away like that!"<p>

"Hey! Calm down!" Zoro protested, shaking him off.

'_Get your ass back in bed!' _I growled, hovering around him.

"Usopp you need rest!" Chopper panicked, shepherding him back on the mattress that was laid on the floor in the kitchen. He sat there crossed legged, and I laid down next to him, setting my head in his lap so he couldn't jump around like before. While that happened, the others filled him in about what happened at the Franky's place, and how Franky had run off with the money.

"…So in the end, we still don't have it…" Usopp mumbled quietly, shame written all over his face.

"We don't know yet. We're waiting for Franky to come back. Even if he doesn't, we still have 100 million. Don't worry about it!" Luffy laughed, trying to calm Usopp down.

Sanji sighed and scolded him, "You're lucky that you're still alive!"

"Lucky!" Nami snapped. "We lost 200 milli-"

"I'm sorry," Usopp mumbled again. I whined, flattening my ears. "So can we fix Going Merry with 100 million? We came a long way to get to this high class shipyard. We need to make this ship even stronger for us to conquer the sailing beyond."

"Nope! Usopp, I decided to change ships," Luffy chirped in a happy voice. "Going Merry helped us a lot, but its sailing days will end right here." I lifted up my head sadly, looking at Usopp's confused and upset face. Luffy reached over onto the table and picked up a magazine of ships. "Let's talk about which shop to buy. Most of the 2nd hand ships that we can buy with 100 million are bigger than ours."

"Hold on!" Usopp yelled. "Don't joke around! It's not funny at all! Do we not have enough money to repair the ship anymore because I lost the 200 million? We just don't have enough money, right? Since the world-class shipyard probably charges world-class prices…"

"No! That's not it!" Luffy yelled, his voice rising.

"Then what is it! Tell me! Don't worry about hurting my feelings!" Usopp screamed back, both of them going red in the face.

"I don't! It's nothing to do with the money!"

"Then why do you say such nonsense like changing ship!"

"Stop yelling, you two. Sit down and talk calmly!" Zoro ordered, trying to take control.

"How can I be calm after hearing such things!" Usopp snapped, trying to get back up to his feet. I jumped up, placing my paws on his chest in an attempt to keep him seated.

"We only decided on that because we have no other choice!" Luffy yelled back, trying to jump towards Usopp. Sanji rushed forward, restraining our screaming captain. "MERRY IS GOING TO DIE!"

Silence echoed through the ship as the loud words took time to settle in with Usopp. My heart clenched in my chest and I felt like I wanted to throw up. Seeing Usopp and Luffy going at it seriously have really unnerved me… And hearing my carefree captain yelling like that…

"No one can fix it, not matter what," Luffy continued in a tense voice, shrugging off Sanji. "I would never make that decision otherwise."

"But this ship…" Usopp roughly shoved me back, causing me to stumble and land on my ass, blinking owlishly as he then slammed his hands on the ground. "It took us all the way here, didn't it!"

"Yeah, but it's only a matter of time before it sinks…" Luffy argued.

"…"Usopp silently crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you talking about, Luffy?"

"I'm not kidding! It's the truth!" Luffy snapped. "The shipwright guy said we won't get to the next island with this ship no matter what!"

"Ah… He said you can't get to the next island… Do you always listen to strangers and trust everything they say?"

"What?"

"Just because a few carpenters say it can't be saved, it's going to die!" Usopp screamed, his voice rising again. "It came all this way with us! Be it giant waves or deadly sea-battle, the ship is a friend that came through it all with us! YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE IT HERE TO DIE! THIS SHIP IS JUST A TOOL TO YOU, ISN'T IT, LUFFY?"

Usopp started coughing violently and Chopper and I scrambled towards him, "Usopp, stop! You need to rest!"

"What would you know?" Luffy questioned. "There is no carpenter on our ship. That is why we need them to take a look for us!"

"Big deal! We don't need them! I'll fix it like I always have!" Usopp scrambled to up to his feet, pushing me away roughly when I tried to stop him.

"Stop, Usopp!"

"It's decided then! Everyone give me a hand! First we'll buy wood from the shipyard. Time to get busy!"

"YOU'RE NOT A CARPENTER, USOPP!"

"Hey, Luffy!" Nami protested.

"Yeah, but so what! And so what if they are? It's not their ship! They don't give a damn! They're just bull-shitting us! I don't believe them! We'll fix our own ship!" Usopp argued. "I'LL NEVER GIVE UP THIS SHIP! ARE YOU ALL IDIOTS! DO YOU LISTEN TO THOSE CARPENTERS LIKE DOGS!" Usopp stepped forward and grabbed onto the front of Luffy's shirt. "The Straw Hats I know wouldn't give in to a marketing scheme! They would believe in Going Merry's strength and fortitude! Stop bluffing, damn brat! Don't say "I've decided" like you're a real captain. I've misjudged you, Luffy!"

"Stop, Usopp! Luffy didn't-" Nami tried to stop them, but Luffy held out an arm to stop her.

"Shut up, Nami!" Luffy snapped.

I snarled loudly. '_Don't speak to her like that._' I quickly placed myself between Nami and the fighting boys.

"I have made my decision! I won't change it no matter what you say! We're changing ship, and we're going to say goodbye to Going Merry right here."

"Bull shit! I won't allow that!"

"Calm down and stop yelling at each other!" Sanji protested.

"Listen, Luffy!" Usopp growled. "Not everyone can ruthlessly move forward in cold blood like you! I can't leave behind a wounded comrade and I won't!"

"That's stupid! Ships and people are two different things!"

"They're the same! Going Merry is alive! You probably wanted a ship since the start! You're just too careless about leaving Going Merry!"

"Don't talk like you know everything, punk!" Luffy finally snapped, tackling Usopp to the ground. "You're not the only one who cares about Merry!"

"Luffy!"

"If you care, you won't want to change ship!"

"Fine, if you don't like my decision, then just leave!"

"IDIOT!" Sanji landed a kick on Luffy's head, sending him flying across the room. I closed my eyes, whimpering as they fought between themselves. It physically hurt me to watch. I didn't know how to help and how to stop them. And yet they were all hurting. Everyone was.

"Sanji!" Chopper gasped.

"Luffy, what are you thinking!" the cook yelled. "Calm down! Watch what you say!"

"Ah…Sorry, I didn't mea-" Luffy started to stand back up.

"No. That's fine, Luffy. Since that's what you really feel," Usopp grumbled.

"What did you say!"

'_STOP. PLEASE_,' I begged, my tail tucked between my legs.

"Leaving behind the crew mates that are useless to you one by one, so you can keep moving forward! If you want to this ship behind, then leave me behind too!" Usopp said.

"Usopp, you're not serious!" Sanji protested.

"No… I am. I've thought about it… I knew that I would never be able to catch up to any of you… As of today, I am nothing more than a bad baggage boy who can't hold on to cash… In the future, I will probably get you into even more troubles… There's no doubt that you don't want a useless crew member like me. Luffy, your goal is to become the Pirate King, but I don't necessarily want to go that far…If you think back to when I joined, I only went because you invited me… The fate that brought us together is only so strong… Since we don't have the same goals, we should go our separate ways!"

Usopp walked out of the kitchen and down the steps onto the main deck of the boat.

"Hey, Usopp! Where are you going!"

I followed behind him, whining in the back of my throat. He couldn't leave, he just couldn't. He jumped off the ship and started to walk away from it, saying, "I go where I want to go. I quit."

* * *

><p>SantōryūKarasuma Gari: Literally "Three Swords Style: Demon Crow Hunt" but translated as "Raven Hunt" in Viz manga and "Karasuma Raven Hunt" in the FUNimation dub. It's a pun on "kasumagari" which is slang for a leg cramp in several regions of Japan. Including the region where Eiichiro Oda is from.<p>

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><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	51. Usopp VS Luffy

**I'm back~ No thanks to the help of school and broken computers. Just got my brother's old computer yesterday, so I figured I'd crack down on some writing. Enjoy, my dear readers. **

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><p>The rest of us ran out after him as Nami yelled, "No! Let's talk about this!"<p>

"Hey come back!" Sanji demanded.

"Ahh! Don't leave us, Usopp!" Chopper sobbed, tears running down his face. I was silent, hanging back next to Zoro who was also mute. I wanted so badly to run after Usopp and drag him back, but I knew it wouldn't do anything, but make everything worse.

"I can't go with you anymore… I won't cause you trouble anymore…" Usopp grumbled. "But the ship belongs to the captain… So fight me. If I win, I'm taking Going Merry. Monkey D. Luffy, I challenge you to a duel!"

* * *

><p>I slunk around the ship in a dejected manner, my head low and my tail between my legs. As I passed the door to the boy's bedroom, I heard Nami yelling at Luffy. I paused, staring at the door as bile crept up the back of my throat. Seeing them fight like that make me physically sick. It wasn't right. This shouldn't happen. <em>Why <em>did it happen?

The door I was standing outside of slammed open, narrowly missing hitting me. I scrambled out of the way and Nami stalked out, so angry that she didn't even see me. I followed her as she stalked up the stairs and entered the kitchen. As soon as the door was open, move shouting drifted out. Zoro and Sanji were going at it.

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU! THIS IS NOT THE TIME!" Nami thundered, shutting them both up straight away. "There's no point arguing about it!"

"Nami…" Sanji mumbled. "It's all this trash's fault anyway."

Chopper walked in the door silently, looking downcast.

"Chopper… Didn't you run after Usopp?" Zoro questioned.

"…" Chopper stared at the ground. "I wanted to finish treating him… But he forced me to come back… He's in the city now, and he said… "You and me are finished! Go back to the ship!"" Chopper's head snapped up and tears were streaming out of his eyes.

'_Oh Chopper_,' I gushed, feeling like a knife was being driven into my heart as I rushed towards the crying reindeer. I couldn't hug him properly, so I improvised. I passed my head over his shoulder and then pulled it back in towards me, pressing my chin against Chopper's shoulder as he was forced into my chest. I felt his tiny arms wrap around my neck as he buried his face into the fluff oh my chest. '_I'm sorry_.'

"Everyone was so happy this morning…" Nami grumbled as she sat down on the bench. "And we still don't know Robin's whereabouts. It feels like the whole group is falling apart."

* * *

><p>"It's 10pm. Usopp is coming."<p>

"Don't come down, all of you!" Luffy ordered in his serious voice, looking back at the ship and us. We were all standing on the front deck of the ship, staring down at Luffy who was on the ground waiting for Usopp to show up for his duel. I was perched up on the railing next to the figure head, my head lowered and my eyes shadowed by misery.

"He's here," Nami gasped.

"USOPP," Chopper called.

"You look determined, but I hope you don't regret your decision later! This is what you want," Luffy challenged.

"Stop pretending and just come get me!" Usopp replied. "I came prepared. I'll beat you. Don't think that I am the same as your previous opponents who knew nothing about you, Luffy! I've been with you for a long time and I know you inside out!"

"Can't we stop them?" Chopper begged. "Usopp is hurt really bad."

"Go inside if you can't watch," Zoro replied, arms crossed over his chest.

A flash or anger lit up my eyes as my head snapped around to glower at him, but within seconds it was gone. Zoro was also feeling this; it was painful for him too. He was the second-mate of the ship, so it was his place to step-up here. He was just doing his job and making sure the rest of the crew didn't fall apart… Zoro's eyes met mine and I wished I had half the resolve he did. I knew him better than almost anyone else on the ship, and I knew what game he was playing. It didn't take me long to figure it out. I sent him a silent look with my eyes as I sat up straight, my shoulders squared. I lifted my head up high, staring defiantly at the two on the battle on the field. If Zoro could do this, so could I.

"Don't be too surprised when I tell you this, Luffy, but I have 8,000 followers waiting for my signal! Surrender now if you don't want to die!" Usopp snapped.

"OH MY GOD! 8,000 PEOPLE!" Chopper cried, gaping.

"You should go inside," Zoro instructed, stepping up to the railing between Chopper and I.

'_I agree with Zoro, Chopper…_' I mumbled quietly, not taking my eyes off of Luffy and Usopp.

"I AM PRETTY SURE YOU'RE JUST LYING, USOPP!" Luffy yelled back.

"Then eat Usopp Spell! Gigantic Razor Blades Between Each and Every Tooth in your Mouth!" Usopp said, trying to get Luffy to imagine the feeling.

"Gyyaaa!" Chopper gasped from beside me.

"Go inside already!" Zoro finally snapped.

"Gomu Gomu…" Luffy started to say as he jumped forward, but Usopp suddenly fell to his knees, coughing up blood all over the ground. Luffy stumbled to a stop.

"Usopp!" Nami panicked.

"Waah! See! See! See! I told you he's hurt really bad!" Chopper cried.

I felt like someone had a hand wrapped around my inside and they were slowly squeezing it, but I didn't let it show on my face. I tried to stay as indifferent as Zoro. It was hard, but I was determined to do it.

"It's foolish to pity your enemy and leave yourself vulnerable!" Usopp snapped and threw something on the ground before him. "Flash dial!" Luffy cried out, stumbling back as he covered his eyes and Usopp jumped up to his feet, his slingshot in his hands. "Hissatsu Tamago Boshi*!"

The egg Usopp shot shattered all over Luffy, leaving him covered in gunk. "Ah! So smelly! How old are these things! Stupid! Get serious already!"

"You think this is stupid? Soon, Luffy, you won't think so!" Usopp barked, putting another bullet in his slingshot. "This is my fighting style! By the way, Luffy, don't open your mouth so wide! You may get burned! Hissatsu Tokusei Tabasco Boshi*!"

Usopp shot something into Luffy's mouth, causing him to choke and turning his face red. "HOT!"

As Luffy stumbled back and went to fall, Usopp called, "Also, when you're falling down, you should look out beneath you!"

"Ah!" Luffy gasped as he fell onto a tone of tiny spikes. "It hurts!"

"How do you like my caltrop hell! Luffy, I'm going to beat you and get Going Merry, and I don't care how I do it!"

"Damn," Luffy coughed as he stood back up. "So smelly… Spicy…"

"Didn't I tell you? I've prepared all my attacks just for you! You won't get a chance to catch your breath! Hissatsu Shuriken Ryusei-gun!*"

"Wah!" Luffy had to jump and dive to escape the hail of shuriken that came his way. While he was doing that, a foggy substance suddenly started to cover the area and Luffy half crouched, glancing around. "Smoke?"

"It's a breeze dial! I used the rotten egg to stop you from smelling it while I surrounded you with gas."

'_No_,' I gasped in horror, my eyes going wide as I figured out what he planning. My façade fell and I started shaking, staring on in horror, unable to move. '_No, Usopp. Please. No._'

"Gas!" Sanji gasped.

"He's going to…" Nami said breathlessly as it clicked for everyone. Zoro was the only one who didn't let it affect him.

"No hard feelings…. KAEN BOSHI!*" The whole area exploded in a balled of fiery fury, swirling around the area. The boat was hit by a wave of hot air and I closed my eyes against it, turning my head aside until it settled.

"LUFFY! USOPP!" Nami screamed and we all turned to watch until the smoke cleared away. I wanted to run in there. I wanted to stop them. It hurt to watch them do this. It was tearing me apart inside. "I really don't like this…"

"LUFFY. USOPP." Chopper called.

My heart thumped against my chest as I heard the faint sounds of a scuffle in the smoke. I glanced back at Zoro, my eyes begging for him to let me run in and stop this. I wanted to be human so I could scream at both of them until I lost my voice. I wanted to grab their heads and slam them together, and then I wanted to curl into a sob until I couldn't breathe. I wanted to swing around a hit wall, over and over again, until all I physically couldn't do it anymore. I wanted this to stop. I wanted to protect them like I had so far on this journey, but how was I meant to protect my friends from each other.

Zoro looked down and met my eyes, seeing my mental battle. His face didn't soften at all, if anything, it got harder. He shook his head once at me, and then turned his attention back to the smoke as more sounds of battle echoed out of it. It felt like he had hit me in the chest, and I couldn't breathe for a few seconds. He knew. Stopping it would only make things. I knew that, but I didn't want to accept it. Zoro was the one with the strength to do that. And I knew if I tried to stop them, he'd stop me anyway he had to. I stopped, took a deep, shuddering breath and I turned back the battle, praying that neither of them would die from this.

The smoke cleared in time for us to both of them battered, but still standing. Luffy swung back his fist and let it fly into Usopp's stomach. "Gomu Gomu no Bullet*!" I fought the urge to close my eyes and turn away. The rest of the crew stared on in shock, and Nami gasped and covered her face.

"USOPP!" Chopper sobbed as the liar fell.

"It's decided then," Zoro stated as Luffy fell to his knees.

"STUPID IDIOT!" Luffy screamed in anguish. "THERE'S NO WAY YOU'D WIN."

"I can't take this," Nami cried softly, tears streaming down her face as she covered her mouth.

I couldn't breathe. I was staring with horror filled eyes.

"Do whatever you want with Going Merry," Luffy said as he stood and walked away from Usopp. "We'll get a new ship… And we'll go on. To the seas ahead. Goodbye, Usopp. It's been fun."

"USOPP!" Chopper screamed as he tried to jump of the boat but Sanji jumped forward and grabbed him before he could.

"Hey! Chopper, stop!"

"Why!" Chopper demanded, struggling. "He was in pieces to start with and got beaten up like that…"

"This is not just a fight or a game!" Sanji snapped.

"So what!" Chopper roared as he changed into his human form, and shoved Sanji away. "I'm a doctor! Let me at least look at his wounds!"

Sanji jumped forward, tackling him as he shoved the large reindeer into the railing. I had to jump onto the deck to avoid being hit. I landed next to Zoro who wasn't even flinching and I watched on like a coward. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to stop them without making things worse.

"HE LOST A DUEL AND WAS THEN PITIED. THINK ABOUT HOW HE MUST FEEL RIGHT NOW," Sanji ordered. "THINK ABOUT HOW THIS KIND OF KINDNESS PAINS THE LOSER… He entered the fight knowing that this might happen."

"It's heavy…" Luffy muttered as he reached the boat and we all looked down at out beaten up captain.

"That's what a captain is..." Zoro finally spoke up again. "Don't hesitate. If you can't be decisive, who can we believe in? Let's clear the ship. We can't come back here ever again."

* * *

><p>The wind fluttered past, tugging at my fur and bandana. Dully I noted that the wind had been picking up a lot lately. At first I thought it was just windy because of the fact that I was on top of the hotel roof, but I soon figured otherwise. I heard footsteps tapping against the ground over the sound of the wind, my eyes cracking open as they approached. I glanced next to me, to Zoro who was sitting and sleeping. He didn't even twitch. My eyes roamed over to Chopper who was leaning on the railing of the roof, staring out at Luffy who was quietly sitting on the small roof of a tower, not far from us.<p>

The door to the roof swung open, and I watched silently as Sanji strolled over to us.

"There you are," he stated. "We paid for rooms and no one's in there. Guess they can't sleep of something. Where's Luffy?"

"There," Chopper said, pointing to Luffy. Sanji frowned, not replying as he walked over to where Chopper was, leaning against the railing as he pulled out a cigarette. "Where'd you go, Sanji?"

"I was keeping watch at the Peninsula. I thought maybe Robin-chan would come back," he said. "I wonder where she went without saying a word… I think I'll search around on the streets today. If anything happens, we'll regroup in the hotel room."

I frowned at the mention of Robin; another of the crew's problems. She'd gone without saying a word to anyone.

"I'll go too! To search!"

'_Chopper,_' I sighed, gaining his attention, '_I'll go too. I can see if I can pick up her scent, but the chances don't look good… There are too many people in this place, and the scents get mixed up._'

"Mamori said she'd come too, and try to smell out Robin," Chopper said to Sanji.

"Okay, sure."

"LUFFY!" The door slammed open as Nami ran out onto the roof, panting. Although my mood was depressed and dejected, I swiftly lifted myself to my feet, making my way towards Nami in case she was in trouble.

"Nami," Sanji mumbled, surprised to see her.

"Big news, guys! Everyone in the city is talking about it! Luffy, last night Iceberg was shot in his house!"

"Uncle Ice was…?" Luffy gasped, finally turning his head towards us. Nami walked up to the railing so that she could speak to Luffy, and I shadowed her footsteps.

"Yeah, he was shot," she confirmed. "He's unconscious right now."

"Who is that, Nami?" Sanji asked.

"The guy who took care of us the other day at the shipyard. He's the president of the company and Mayor of Water Seven."

"Wow, he must be one important guy," Sanji replied.

"It's said to be the greatest catastrophes to ever happen in this city," Nami said.

"That guy… He's respected by so many people…" Luffy mumbled before leaping up moodily, jumping off to roof and onto the ground. "I'll go look."

"Wait, Luffy! I'll go too!" Nami gasped, spinning on her heels and running towards the exit so that she could follow Luffy. I paused, glancing at the others to see what they'd do.

"Then Chopper, Mamori and I will go to search for Robin, you coming?" Sanji addressed his question to Zoro.

"I'll wait and see what happens next," Zoro replied. I gave him a subtle nod of my head, trotting towards the door, finally aware of how I could make myself useful and stop myself from moping around. I needed to find Robin; she could have been in serious trouble for all we knew.

* * *

><p>"This is an announcement," a voice called from the loud speakers as Sanji, Chopper and I walked through the busy streets, Chopper in his full-reindeer form. "The Water Seven Weather Forecast Department has officially declared an Aqua Laguna warning for the entire island." The people around us began to mumble. "Repeat; The off-"<p>

"Heeey! The Aqua Laguna's comin'!" a town's person yelled. "Go tell people who haven't heard about it. Take a break from work!"

"What?" Chopper muttered as we all looked around, confused.

"Aqua Laguna?" Sanji question before he stopped a random stranger to ask them. "Hey, you, what was that announcement about?"

"Ah, you must be travellers," the guys said, stopping to explain it to us. "What a bad time to be here, eh. Aqua Laguna is what you would call a high tide."

"High tide?" Sanji repeated.

'_A high tide on an island in the middle of the ocean is NOT good, I'd bet_,' I mumbled, my mind drifting to the others.

"Yeah. Make sure you get to a high place. This town's gonna sink," the stranger said.

"WHAT!" Chopper gasped. "This town's gonna what?"

"Well, it's not like it'll happen immediately. Don't worry. It usually happens at around midnight, after the warning. Its like this every year," he laughed, waving to us as he walked off. We all stood there awkwardly for a second as the news sunk in.

"What! This place's gonna sink!" Chopper repeated yet again.

'_Everyone seems really calm about it_,' I noted, glancing around as I noted that no one was panicking too much.

"It seems that way," Sanji replied to Chopper. "So we have to hurry and find Robin."

'_And warn the others too_,' I pointed out.

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><p>Hissatsu Tamago Boshi: Literally "Sure-Kill Egg Star". "Hissatsu" has several translations such as "Death Blow" or "Killer" in the Viz Translations. Known as "Special Attack" in the FUNimation Dub and sometimes in the Viz Manga. However, "Tamago Boshi" is translated as "Egg Star" no matter the source material.<p>

Hissatsu Tokusei Tabasco Boshi: Literally "Deluxe Tabasco Star". Called "Deluxe Pepper Sauce Star" in the Viz Manga and "Special Tabasco Star" in the FUNimation Dub. For "Hissatsu", please refer to "Hissatsu Tamago Boshi" for that translation.

Hissatsu Shuriken Ryusei-gun: Literally "Shuriken Meteoric Swarm". Both the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub calls this attack "Shuriken Shooting Star". For "Hissatsu", please refer to "Hissatsu Tamago Boshi" for that translation.

Kaen Boshi: Literally "Flame Star". Called "Fire Star", "Flame Star", or "Flaming Star" in the Viz Manga and the FUNimation dub. Often called "Exploding Star" in the FUNimation dub as well.

Gomu Gomu no Bullet: ... I (praeses) really have to translate this? It's kind of self-explanatory... Gum Gum Bullet.

**Beta read by praeses.**

**Translations provided by the One Piece Wiki.**


	52. Tis But a Scratch

**Hey guys, I got some life advice for you. If you are even given a chance to volunteer, take it every time. I volunteer a lot, and I always get something back from it. I spent all day today running around dodging kids that were throwing slime across the room, but it was great and I may have gotten a job out of it! So remember, volunteering almost always pays off. **

**Anyway, enjoy! **

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><p>"The Sea Train is still operational," Sanji pointed out as we stood before the station, chaos all around as everyone tried to prepare for the Aqua Laguna. "One train during the day, and one in the night… The weather is this bad, and they can still go to Enies Lobby at 11 p.m… The Sea Train sure is amazing. Hopefully Robin didn't get on a train already. Otherwise it'll be a hell of a lot of trouble. It's already hard enough searching in just Water Seven."<p>

'_If she has done that, we're in a bit of trouble_,' I grumbled, keeping a close eye on the people scurrying around us. We'd seen the wanted posters of Luffy, Zoro, and Robin flying around. I didn't understand what had happened, but I knew that we weren't the only ones looking for Robin now. '_I can't smell people over the water, and I've haven't even been able to get a scent of her yet._'

"I wonder why she left…" Chopper mumbled. "Did I make her mad when I went to the book store?"

"…Idiot, that's impossible," Sanji sweat-dropped.

"Have you seen the cute girl in this picture?" Sanji asked a passerby, holding up the wanted poster of a young Robin.

"No, but the real person is around 20 years older. If 'd seen her. I'd be telling the Galley-La by now. She's the assassin," he replied before continuing to walk.

"…This sounds bad," Sanji gritted his teeth as we continued on our mission to find Robin.

"I wonder what happened to Luffy," Chopper said.

"Luffy is fine," Sanji dismissed as he walked, Chopper and I taking up position either side of him. "It's Nami that I'm worried about." We turned down an empty street. "This place is starting to get deserted. The wind is getting stronger too. Everyone probably evacuated."

'_Wait!_' I gasped suddenly as a blast of wind carried a familiar scent, and my head snapped to the side, glancing across the waterway. Chopper, hearing my call, looked as well, and Sanji, noticing what Chopper and I were doing, glance to the side. We all stared silently for a few seconds at the figure that was standing there, watching us.

"ROBIN!" Chopper and Sanji yelled out in excitement.

"Where did you go! Everyone is worried about you!" Sanji called. "Let's go back to the hotel! We can't talk here. I'll tell you everything later. Wait there. I'll come over to you."

'…_Something isn't right_,' I narrowed my eyes at Robin, noting her aloof body posture.

"No," Robin answered. "I won't go back with you. Let's say our farewell here… In this town."

"Robin?"

"Er… What are you saying, Robin? Ah, is this about the thing in the papers?" Sanji asked. "Don't worry, we don't believe it! They always blame pirates whenever anything bad happens."

'_Something is NOT right_,' I said again, more insistent this time, causing Chopper to glance at me.

"Yes, you guys were falsely accused of the crime," she confirmed. "However, for me, this is the truth. I did, in fact, infiltrate the Mayor's office last night. I am shrouded in a darkness that you have no knowledge of. And that darkness will eventually be the death of you. Now you will be my scapegoats for this incident. I will leave soon and the situation will worsen."

"What are you talking about!" Sanji yelled. "Why are you-"

"Why am I doing this?" she finished for Sanji. "Yes, there's no need to tell you all that."

"Robin! You're not making any sense!" Sanji continued to yell. "Did something happen to you?"

"Robin! Let's go back together!" Chopper joined in.

I stayed silent, knowing that even if I said something, Chopper would be the only one to hear it. There was something going on here, deeper than just Robin's motives. And I wanted to know what.

"We haven't know each other for long and after today, we won't see each other again. Say "hello" to everyone for me," Robin turned around and started to walk away. "In the time I've been with you, you have treated me well. Goodbye."

"Hey…" Sanji hissed. "I don't believe this… WAIT A MINUTE, ROBIN, THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

Sanji dove in the water as Robin began to turn the corner, but I'd already beat him to it, and I was submerged in water before he'd even hit it. The current was stronger than I predicted, thanks to the rising tide. I fought with the water to get back to the surface, and quickly make my way to the other side. Sanji swiftly caught up with me, and about the same time we climbed back onto solid ground, chasing after where we'd seen Robin disappear.

My wet paws slapped against the ground as I raced to the street she had turned down, skidding to a sudden halt when I realized it was a dead-end street. My heart beat in my chest as I glanced around quickly, trying to find out where she'd or how she could have escaped. Sanji stopped behind me as we before stared in silence.

"She's gone…" he said after a few seconds.

'_How… where…_' I grumbled, trying to put the pieces together. First Usopp, and now Robin. What was going on?

After a few more seconds, both of us realized that we wouldn't find Robin now and we turned back, walking out of the alley as Chopper caught up to us.

"She's gone?"

"Yeah…" Sanji pulled off his top, ringing the water out of it. "Chopper… Mamori…"

"Huh?"

'_Sanji?_'

"Find Luffy. Tell him exactly what happened. Don't miss a single word."

'…_Got it._'

"What about you, Sanji?" Chopper asked.

"I have a plan. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

* * *

><p>I trotted through the mostly empty streets, nose to the ground as I tried to pick at the scents of the others. The only other people we saw were occasional mobs looking for Luffy, Robin, and Zoro.<p>

It didn't take me long to pick up on Zoro's scent and Chopper and I followed it to a bridge.

I blinked in confusion when the trail went over the side of the bridge. '_Chopper… I think they're under the bridge._'

Chopper, now in his human form, leaned over the side of the bridge, causing someone to cry out in alarm and fall into the water. I jumped up onto the side of the bridge, glancing into the water. Sure enough, there was Nami, Zoro, and a drowning Luffy.

'…_Found 'em._'

* * *

><p>We quickly moved to somewhere safe, away to from the people chasing Luffy and Zoro. With Chopper and I accompanying them, it was easy for us to warn them people were getting close so they could duck into cover. We finally made our way to a roof, where no one would bother us.<p>

"IS THAT FOR REAL?" Luffy yelled in rage. "ROBIN REALLY SAID THAT!"

The area was silent until Zoro roughly slapped one of his sheathed swords against the ground between where we were all sitting in a circle. "It's time for everyone to wake up! Robin started out as our enemy, then we let her on our ship. She wouldn't have left us out of fear after all this time. Before the sun goes down, we need to figure out… Is that woman friend or foe. Robin really said that, right, Chopper?"

"Uh huh."

"She said we won't ever meet after today. It sounds like she's announcing that she's going to do something to make things worse for us. The attempt on the Mayor's life has already cause this much of an uproar… If someone wants to make matters worse, there's only one way…"

"This time…" Nami said, catching on. "The successful assassination of the Mayor."

'_But why? It doesn't make sense. We're missing something here_.'

"That's the natural thing for us to think," Zoro agreed with Nami. "But now that we know she's framing us for the crime, this would be viewed as a trap to lead us to the crime scene. If we're found at the scene of the crime, then we'll automatically be framed."

"Wait!" Nami objected. "You sound like you're already thinking of Robin as an enemy!"

"I'm just talking about the possibilities. I'm not really on either side. Whether to believe it or not… If I pick one side and the truth is the opposite… The instant in which I make my move, I'll be slowed down. If something's gonna happen, it's gonna be tonight. Do you we got the crime scene?"

We all looked at Luffy.

"We go."

"I don't mind if you do… But we have a problem. Sanji said he saw Robin walking with someone," Nami said. "Iceberg said the same thing. 'A masked person'. That's not any of us. Maybe he's the reason for Robin's sudden change."

"Did he do something to Robin!" Chopper gasped. "To control her?"

"That's the optimistic guess," Zoro said. "The pessimistic guess would be that Robin and that guy are actually partners."

'_Either is as likely as the other in this case_.'

"But just knowing about a 'Masked Person' doesn't help much," Nami argued. "What's our goal on this trip?"

"To catch Robin!" Luffy said, standing up. "Otherwise we'll never know the truth. Yeah… Just thinking about it like this is a waste of time."

"But then she's someone who the World Government has tried and failed to capture for 20 years," Zoro pointed out.

"Yes, but this is the only way for us to find out the truth," Nami countered.

"Okay! I'll do my best too!" Chopper chipped in.

By this time everyone had climbed up to their feet, me included, and Luffy ordered, "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"It's so far!" Luffy complained as we all perched in a tree, watching the Mayor's house from a distance. There were people swarming all over the place, and we got as close as we could without being discovered so that we could come up with a plan.<p>

"So many people!" Chopper chipped in.

"You can just stretch your arms and fly over if an uproar occurs," Nami pointed out to Luffy.

"Yeah, but if we're the ones to cause the uproar, we would have played right into her hands," Zoro, ever the realist, said.

'…_So, basically we should not let Luffy within a 100 meter distance of the house_,' I deadpanned to myself, glancing at my captain.

"Everyone has a weapon…" Chopper, who was using a pair of binoculars, mumbled. "They look so strong."

"Yes, those mechanics could pin any pirate to the ground," Luffy agreed. "It'll be bad if someone just barges in there recklessly."

"I wonder who tried to get through earlier!" Nami sweat-dropped, dropping her head. I jumped from my branch over to her, pressing my nose against the side of her arm to try and cheer her up.

'_It's for Robin, remember._'

She looked at me before sighing, "Maybe he's learnt his lesson…"

'…_Doubt it._' She seemed to understand what I thought by my facial expression, her head dropping again.

"Tell me as soon as you see them make a move," Zoro instructed Chopper.

"Okay!" he chirped.

"This is going to be a long night, but don't lose your concentration. If we don't catch her tonight, we'll probably never know the truth. I don't think we'll get a second chance to find Robin," Zoro said in his serious tone.

"I'll definitely catch her!" Luffy swore.

* * *

><p>A loud explosion drew our attention to the Mayor's house, the color of bright, flashing red coloring the night sky, accompanied by an ear-ringing explosion.<p>

"Ah! Something exploded!" Luffy yelped, as everyone's heads snapped around to watch.

"Wah, it's in chaos," Chopper observed as everyone started running to and fro, the sounds of yelling and battle drifting to us on the wind. "…Eh, where's Luffy?"

"AHH!" Zoro and Nami yelped at the same time as we all looked at the spot our captain was mere seconds ago. Now it was empty.

'_DAMMIT, LUFFY! STEALTH MEANS NOTHING TO YOU, DOES IT?_' I swore.

* * *

><p>"ARGH! Why doesn't he ever listen!" Nami snapped as we ran through the streets, heading for the Mayor's house.<p>

'_Because he is an idiot!_' I barked back, growling under my breath.

"No use complaining now!" Zoro grumbled.

"Maybe Robin is in the crowds! What should we do? Do we need to sneak?" Chopper asked.

"Actually, this may be to our advantage," Nami admitted, breathlessly as we ran. "Do you think that Luffy would use stealth to enter the building?"

"Mostly likely not," Zoro replied.

"No!" Chopper agreed.

'_Not at all_,' I sighed.

"He likely flew or charged from the front. It's good if he got in, he's probably being chased around by the shipwrights," Nami explained. "When the enemy's boss appears, everyone will chase after him, so, the front of the building should be poorly defended right now. We can use this chance to get it!"

'…_Sometimes I not sure if Luffy truly an idiot, albeit a lucky one, but and idiot all the same, or if he is a genius is disguise._'

"I see, so Luffy's recklessness gives us an opportunity!" Zoro said.

"I agree! So we can just charge in there!" Chopper added.

"Jump over that wall!" Nami ordered as we ran up to the wall around the Mayor's house. We all jumped it in one smooth motion.

"Follow Luffy!" Zoro ordered.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Chopper added.

'_About damn time!_' I agreed, finally happy to be doing something.

My elation fell when we landed on the other side of the wall, all freezing at the amount of eyes staring at us. Out the front of the Mayor's house were several hundred shipwrights, all armed, starting at us.

"Hey, look there," one of the shipwrights said.

Everyone had matching looks of horror on the faces and we didn't stick around long to see what they were going to do. In unison, we all spun around as started to run across the yard, the shipwrights close on our tails.

"IT'S RORNOA ZORO!"

"HE'S FINALLY APPEARED!"

"I SAW THAT WOMAN WITH THEM EARLIER TODAY!"

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!"

"THEY'RE THE STARW HATS!"

"WAAAH!" Chopper screamed he ran.

"What happened to Luffy!" Nami screeched.

"How the heck would I know?" Zoro snapped in reply before skidding to a stop, neatly pulling out his weapons. "Dammit! There's not point running! In any case, they saw us jump over the fence, so…"

'_Too true_,' I agreed, skidding to a stop next to Zoro, spinning to face the charging shipwrights.

"Ah! What are you saying, Zoro?" Nami yelled over her shoulder.

"There's no point running around the house! We should just charge in there, and find Robin!" Zoro declared.

"But they are the shipwrights! They are not our enemies!" Chopper argued.

"No problem!" he called as he ran at them, swinging his swords. "I'll hit the using the back of my blades! GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

Bodies went flying into the air and I was split seconds behind Zoro, my knife in my jaws as I jumped and sprang amongst the shipwrights, landing blows that took them out in one go, trying to only use my paws and the hilt of my knife. For all the muscles the shipwrights had from their hard work, they couldn't keep up with my speed and one by one they quickly fell around Zoro and I.

"YOU'RE STILL CAUSING SERIOUS INJURIES!" Nami yelled in the background.

'_I'M TRYING NOT TO_,' I screamed back mentally, just as my knife made a sickening crunch as it smashed into the temple of one of the men, ribs cracking as my back feet rocketed into the chest of another of them. _'…UH …IT'S JUST A FLESH WOUND_. _'TIS BUT A SCRATCH… I have no quarrel with you, Sir Knight, but I must cross this bridge_!' The sound of my maniacal laughter echoed in my head at the Monty Python reference.

* * *

><p>"Don't worry," Zoro sighed as he sheathed his swords. "I used the back side of my swords."<p>

'_I'm pretty sure I didn't kill any of them…_' I mumbled, glancing around at the sea of bodies around us. I then snickered, '_Have at you_.'

"Why did you have to knock out all of the shipwrights!" Nami screamed at us.

'_Something tells me they were in no mood to just let us in!_'

"Zoro and Mamori sure are strong!" Chopper chirped.

I blinked owlishly, walking over to the small reindeer, rubbing the side of my head against his arm. '_Have some self-confidence, you're pretty strong too Chopper_.'

'Y-you bastard!" he stuttered, blushing and doing his little dance. "Saying things like that won't make me happy!"

'_I know_,' I snorted sheepishly, trying to hide my wide smirk.

* * *

><p>"THERE!" Nami yelled, pointing to the door we were looking at as we ran through the halls. "That door in front of us has to be it!"<p>

"That's a lot of people lying in front of it," Chopper pointed out, referencing to all the shipwrights that were littered all over the ground, passed out or dead.

"Now! Go straight! We'll crash through the door!" Nami order Zoro and I, who had taken the lead in our charge.

"Don't order me around!" Zoro snapped back, but nonetheless, he jumped forward, pulling his swords out as he slashed the doors into several pieces. At the same time a wall the other side of the room shattered, emitting a screaming Luffy.

"WHERE'S ROBIN!" Luffy howled.

We all skidded to a stop as we entered what seemed to be a bedroom, containing Robin, and a few assassins.

"Luffy!" Robin gasped and my eyes went straight to her as the dust started to settle.

"Luffy!" Zoro gasped.

'_WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, LUFFY?_' I growled, taking up my position next to Zoro as I allowed my eyes to flicker over the room.

"I FINALLY FOUND YOU!" Luffy yelled at Robin, a beaten up shipwright appearing next to him.

"Hey! Luffy!" Zoro snapped. "Where have you been all this time!"

"Robin! I'm so glad to see you again!" Chopper cried.

"What's going on here?" Nami asked.

"Aw, jeez…" a weird guy in a suit with a pigeon on his shoulder said.

"Straw Hat… Paulie…" a man who was laying on the ground panted, and he looked to be in really bad condition.

"Mr. Iceberg… What?" Paulie panted. "What in the world is going on!"

'_This is not good_,' I grumbled, eyeing the downed Mayor. He looked ready to kick it any second.

"Paulie… Why didn't you run away!" demanded Iceberg.

"What is this!" Paulie panted, looking at the masks on the ground and then at the real assassins that were standing around in the room. It was then that it hit me; one of the assassins was the Usopp-Imposter that had come to survey Going-Merry. The assassins were some of the shipwrights… "It's like… WHY ARE YOU GUYS DRESSED LIKE THE CRIMINALS WHO'RE AFTER MR. ICEBERG'S LIFE! HEY, KALIFA, BLUENO, KAKU, LUCCI, ENOUGH WITH THE JOKES, GUYS!"

"Oh yeah! Those are the shipwrights you were with earlier! It's the pigeon guy! Right?" Luffy asked Paulie.

"Hey, I recognize the square nose," Zoro said.

"You mean, the "Assassins" were working on the inside," Nami gaped.

'…_It would seem that way. But how are they connected to Robin?_'

"Paulie," the pigeon guy said. "We're actually government intelligence operatives. You'll forgive me if I apologize, right? We're companions, we built ships, day in and day out. If it's too sudden for you to believe, would you like me to step on Mr. Iceberg's face?"

"Shut up," Paulie hissed, clenching his fists. "This is too much! The voice I heard earlier… The cow mask matched yours… Damn bastard! You can speak properly! You made fools out of us all!"

"Stop it, Paulie!" Iceberg pleaded.

"Pipe Hitch Knives!" Paulie called as he charged at Lucci, throwing out a rope that was decorated in sharp knives.

Lucci easily dodged the rope and within a split second he was standing in front of Paulie, his finger implanted in Paulie's chest. "Shigan. You still don't get it, Paulie?"

Paulie fell to his knees as Lucchi drew back his fingers, and Luffy yelled, "Hey! Rope Guy!"

"Why…" Paulie demanded, blood dribbling out of his mouth. "You guys…"

"Don't bother resisting," Lucci said. "We've mastered skills that soar far above those of humans. We've spent countless hours training in a martial art that makes the body equal to a weapon."

"Why would you…" Paulie started to rise again.

"No matter," Lucci caught his shoulder, pulling back his other hand, ready to strike again. "Your like will expire, either way, though we were friends…"

"LUCCI! YOU BASTARD!" Iceberg yelled.

"STOP IT!" Luffy sent his foot flying into Lucci, forcing him to drop Paulie as he caught Luffy's foot in his fist.

"Gomu Gomu no… GATLING."

"Tekkai."

Luffy sent his fists flying into Lucci, although they all seemed to bounce off and leave no damage at all, forcing Luffy to stop. "What! It's not working!"

"This is annoying… Soru." Lucchi disappeared in thin air, and not even my eyes could follow him this time.

"Huh! He disappeared!" Luffy gasped.

"Shigan!" Lucchi appeared right in front of Luffy, drilling his finger into Luffy's throat.

'_LUFFY!_' I howled, my heart skipping several beats as he went flying back towards us, almost taking me out when he landed next to me. He then sat there, chocking and gasping his neck as he tried to get his breath back.

"If you had a normal neck, you'd now have a hole in it, and would've died instantly, Rubberman."

Luffy jumped back up to feet at the same time he flung his arm out, latching onto Paulie and pulling him over to where we were.

"What are you doing, Straw Hat?" Lucchi questioned.

"You're planning to kill him!" Luffy accused. "Weren't you shipwrights together?"

"Until a moment ago, yes, but it's different now," Lucci replied.

"You really are a traitor! Fine than. Anyway, I promise this guy that we'd beat the crap out of the guys who tried to Kill Uncle Iceberg!" Luffy declared as I stepped over to where Paulie was laid on the ground, neatly stepping in front of him so that they would have to go through me if they wanted to touch him again.

"Why do you side with Paulie?" Kaku, the Usopp-Imposter, asked.

"Cause I got business with you too!" Luffy said. "Hey! Robin! What're you doing with these guys! If you want out of the crew, at least tell me why!"

"Yeah!" Nami chipped in. "They're Government officials, why!"

"You people don't seem to listen very well," Robin said. "I told the Cook, the Dog, and the Doctor goodbye… Didn't they tell you?"

"I did! But I don't get it either! Why, Robin?" Chopper demanded.

"To achieve my goal! A goal that can't be achieved if I stay with you people," Robin declared. "To accomplish it, I will sacrifice anything!"

"So… That's why you're able to frame your friends as assassins without hesitating?" Zoro asked. "What's this goal of yours?"

"I don't have to tell you."

"Don't try to understand her…" Iceberg panted. "She's… Are you crazy, Nico Robin! Do you understand what you're trying to do!"

"You no longer have the right to say anything," Robin said coldly as several of her arms shot out of the ground and Iceberg's back, bending one of his arms back as he made a sound of pain. "Keep your mouth shut!"

"Mr. Iceberg!" Paulie called from behind me.

"I will not let anyone interfere!" Robin declared.

"Robin! What are you doing!" Luffy snapped. "Are you serious!"

"What's wrong with you, Robin!" Chopper called. "Are you really our enemy, Robin?"

'_Dammit, woman_,' I snarled, glaring at Robin. '_I don't want to have to hurt you… But if it comes down to it, Zoro and I will take care of you. Don't force us to… Please…_'

"I'm sorry," Lucci interrupted. "But, I'm going to have to stop you right now. We have to find a very important person after this, so we're in a hurry. We have no more business in this mansion and we don't have business with you lot, either. Kalifa, how much longer?"

"2 minutes," the woman replied.

"This is sudden, but in 2 minutes this mansion will be engulfed in flames," Lucci explained to us.

'_What about all the unconscious people in the mansion!_'

"What!" Luffy snapped.

"Fire is a very convenient way of destroying evidence," Lucci explained. "If you do not wish to burn to death, I suggest you evacuate quickly. That is… If you can."

Blueno, Kaku, and Kalifa stepped towards us, ready to fight.

"It looks like they mean to eliminate us," Zoro said. "Nico Robin seems to want to stay on the other side… Luffy, are you okay with Robin leaving the crew?"

"HELL NO!"

"The flames will rise from a number of rooms on the first floor soon. But the culprits were pirates, these things happen," Lucci said.

"You use the masks of other people to get away with whatever you like. Talk about rude!" Nami protested, her weapon drawn.

"They're already tainted masks, I see no problem with that," Blueno said.

"I'll be going then," Robin said suddenly, drawing her cloak over her head.

"Yes, you've done your part," Lucchi agreed.

"Wait! Robin! I won't accept it!" Luffy yelled.

"Goodbye," Robin said simply as she turned and started to walk towards a window.

"ROBIN!"

"Don't let her go…" Iceberg panted.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING NOW!" Luffy demanded, running after Robin. "WE JUST FOUND YOU." Blueno stepped his path and Luffy threw his foot in Blueno's face. "GET OUTTA MY WAY."

"Tekkai."

Luffy's foot did nothing to Blueno. "What's with these guys and their hard bodies!"

"Our bodies are trained to the point of mimicking an iron shell," he explained. "We can heighten our resistance.

"I SAID, GET OUTTA MY WAY!" Luffy yelled, letting out a barrage of punches at Blueno.

"Kami-e," the bull-looking man said and he smoothly dodged every single one of Luffy's punches. "But taking hits is not our only skill.

"Whoa! He's not getting hit at all! And he's so huge!" Chopper gasped.

"It's like he's a piece of floating paper!" Nami added.

'_Not good_,' I mumbled, gritting my teeth. '_Not good at all._'

"ROBIN! WAIT!" Luffy yelled, pulling back his arm. "…You! Gomu Gomu no Bullet!"

Luffy's fist sent flying at the same time Blueno said, "Soru," and disappeared from sight again.

"He disappeared again!" Luffy gasped.

"It only seems as though I've disappeared," Blueno explained as he appeared behind Luffy. "With the explosive power of my legs."

"You!" Luffy spun around to try and hit him.

"Geppo," Blueno seemed to step on air, jumping up to make it seem as though he was flying. "I can kick the air and float."

"He's flying!" Chopper gaped.

'_Luffy! Careful!_' I yelled as two more of them appeared behind him.

"And… Rankyaku" they said, kicking their out to make a small wave of air go flying into Luffy, blowing him off his feet.

"GET DOWN!" Zoro ordered.

"Why!" Nami cried, but they both still ducked. I quickly threw myself at Paulie, forcing him to the ground as I pinned him under me, using my body as a shield, ignoring the grunt of pain of he made.

The wave of air created by Kalifa and Kaku sent Luffy flying right over our heads and through a wall, cutting in cleanly.

"Luffy!" Chopper gasped as he stood back up.

"They cut the wall with their kicks!" Nami cried.

'_That was dangerous!_' I hissed as I jumped off Paulie, ignoring the chosen few swear words that came out of his mouth.

"If you have the speed to create a kamikaze, then it's possible," the female assassin explain. "That's Rankyaku."

Zoro wasted no time, drawing his swords and charging towards the Usopp-Imposter. Kaku drew a chisel out of his cloak, neatly blocking Zoro's swords with it. With Zoro gone I quickly shifted in front of Chopper, Nami, and Paulie, acting as the shield between the assassins my friends. If Luffy and Zoro were struggling against them, I had almost no chance, but I would protect them no matter what.

"We met on the ship, Roronoa," Kaku observed.

"You're not a shipwright, so your inspection at the time…" Zoro gritted out.

"Unfortunately for you, I was serious when I appraised it," Kaku said, bringing out another chisel so that he had one in each hand.

"…That's too bad," Zoro grunted, as he started swinging his swords at Kaku, who easily blocked every single blow with his chisels.

"Ugaa," Luffy coughed as he sat back up in the rubble, blood dribbling out of his mouth.

"Luffy!" Nami cried and I cast my head back over my shoulder, looking at Luffy, making sure he was still alive. Sure that he was I switched my gaze to Robin as she opened a window, allowing the breeze to come flying in.

"Don't go, Robin!" Luffy cried as he jumped back up. "I'm not done talking to you!"

"No, I'm done," she said. "We will never meet again."

"ROBIN!" Nami screamed.

'_Dammit!_' I snarled, torn between charging in, and protecting the others.

"Luffy! Hurry up and catch Robin!" Zoro ordered and Luffy quickly jumped into action, running towards Robin.

"Roronoa, you've got guts looking away," Kaku said as his finger went flying into Zoro in several place.

'_ZORO!_' I screamed at the same time Chopper did.

"ZORO!"

"Shigan… We don't need bullets to pierce human flesh," Kaku said as Zoro collapsed to the ground.

"Go, Nico Robin," Lucci order as he appeared before Luffy, catching Luffy's face in his hand. Luffy threw hits at Lucci, but they just bounced off as Robin jumped out of the window.

"Robin!"

"Luffy was caught so easily!" Nami gasped.

'_LUFFY! ZORO! ROBIN! DAMMIT!_'

Lucci threw Luffy across the room and into a wall, sending rubble flying. I took one step forward, my lips peeled back in a snarl as I got ready to jump in.

"Mamori!" Zoro's voice snapped as he pushed himself back onto his knees. "Protect the others!"

I froze, snarling as I forced myself to hold back and not charge in. Zoro was right, I needed to keep my cool. If all three of us were in the fight, no one could stop any attacks aimed at Nami or Chopper. Where was Sanji!

"What's with their strength…" Nami panted.

"Who the hell are you?" Paulie demanded.

"Our surroundings have changed. We, of the CP9, have been prepared to give our lives for the Government," Lucci explained. "We've trained our bodies to great extremes since we were young. Thus, we've gained the 6 super human strengths, Rokushiki. I think it has finally sunk into your hearts. Us four are assigned by the Government to extreme missions and you lowly pirates can see the huge difference in out combat powers. This incident is of the utmost secrecy. It's not something you can touch."

"Lucci, it's about time the fires should be starting," Kalfia interrupted. "We should hurry."

"…Yeah," he agreed. "But it's such a pity. I think I'll show you something interesting." His body started expanding, fur growing on his skin.

"WHAT!"

'_Devil Fruit!_' I snapped, narrowing my eyes as the smell of smoke started drifting into the room. '_Before he wasn't even fighting at his strongest!_'

"Lucci… What the heck are you!" Paulie gritted out as Lucci's transformation finished.

"GYAAAA!" Chopper screamed.

"It seems the fire has begun to spread," the transformed Lucci said, towering over us, his voice slightly different now.

'…_Cat_,' I snarled as I stared at him. '_Very_. _Big. Fucking. Cat_.'

"A devil fruit!" Nami gasped.

"Which fruit was it!" Luffy demanded.

"Leopard," he said.

"…A leopard man, eh," Zoro grunted.

"He's huge!" Luffy gaped.

"This is bad!" Chopper cried. "A carnivorous Zoan is a lot more violent!"

"Logia, Zoan, Paramecia… There are many unique abilities, but for Zoan, it's our special quality to strengthen ourselves physically. Our powers increase the more we train. Zoan is the strongest in close combat."

"What the hell is this!" Paulie hissed.

"Lucci, the other shipwrights are coming up!" Kalifa said.

"No, they can't," he said. "Rankyaku." He kicked out, sending out an airwave at the celling of the house, searing it in half. The building started to shift and the wall fell towards us.

"GET AWAY FROM THE WALL! CHOPPER! NAMI! MAMORI!" Zoro yelled.

'_HOLD ON_,' I yelled, wasting no time in clamping my jaws over the back of Paulie's shirt, dragging him away from the wall.

"ARGH!" Paulie cried out in pain as I jarred his wounds.

"Nami!" Chopper cried out and I glanced back in time to see Chopper shoving Nami out of the way of falling rubble, making it land on him instead. I quickly let go and Paulie, allowing him to get back on his own feet as I ran over to Nami and Chopper.

"Paulie! What are you doing!" Iceberg protested when Paulie scrambled over to him, pulling him onto his shoulder.

"I'm getting you out of here!"

"How can you with those wounds!"

"Give up, Paulie," Lucci said as he stepped in front of them. I prayed that they wouldn't die while I tried to push the rubble off of Chopper.

'_CHOPPER. CAN YOU HEAR ME?_'

"I thought… I REALLY THOUGHT THAT WE WERE FRIENDS!" Paulie screamed at him as Lucci brought back his paw, ready to strike.

"Only you thought that."

"PIGEON GUY!" Luffy screamed, landing a hit on Lucci's cheek.

"Straw Hat!" Paulie yelled.

"Shigan!" Lucci swung so hard that his clawed finger pierced straight through Luffy's chest, splattering blood into the air.

'_LUFFFFFFFY!_' I screamed in fear for my captain. '_NO!_'

"Uh… Oh…" Luffy panted as the claw was drawn out of his chest.

"LUFFY!"

Before Luffy had the chance to collapse, the big cat grasped his head again, lifting him into the air and drawing his arm back. "I'll send you… OFF THIS ISLAND!" Lucci threw Luffy straight out of the room, through the wall and into the night beyond with such strength that I'd never seen the likes of before.

"LUFFY!" Nami screamed.

'_THAT WAS MY CAPTAIN, DAMMIT!_' I howled in rage, hoping that he'd survive that. Rubber bounces, right?

"YOU!" Zoro snarled, charging forward towards Lucci, his blade curving in an arc.

"Tekkai." Lucchi blocked the blade with his bare arm before spinning around and kicking Zoro so hard that he also went flying out of the room and into the air.

'_ZORO!_' I howled, stepping up in front of the assassins, every hair on my body standing on end. '_YOU UTTER GUTTER TRASH. I WON'T LET YOU TOUCH MY FRIENDS!'_

The giant cat looked down at me, frowning ever so slightly. "…I dislike dogs."

'_Yeah, cause you're so much fucking better, you giant ball of… of… PUBIC HAIR!_' Rage burnt through my veins. I'd been utterly useless at helping Usopp, utterly useless at stopping Robin, and now Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji weren't around, leaving me to protect Nami and Chopper, and I knew deep down that no matter how I tried, I couldn't beat the assassins.

So many times I'd be useless. So many emotions. So much hurt. So much self-hate at my incompetence. And now I KNEW there was nothing I could do, and my crew could be killed. Nothing I could do but wait for it to happen. But… NO. I wouldn't believe that. There had to be a way!

"MAMORI!" Nami cried.

My chest shuddered as I drew ragged breaths, tensing my muscles as I got ready to attack, my vision narrowing into tunnels on Lucci. I could almost feel electricity running amongst the hairs that I was covered in, pins and needles all over. I pushed off the ground, feinting to the left at the fastest speed I could managed, my body turning into a blur of orange.

'_DO IT, NOW_,' the loud of voice of Ikol screamed in my head, but I managed to ignore it in my animalistic rage.

I felt the wave of electricity and pins and needles narrow down to my skull, the amount of energy gathering there making me feel like my head was about to explode. I'd never felt anything like it, but it didn't matter. My body was going into overdrive.

I pushed off the ground faster than I'd ever moved before, the pins and needles exploding in my paws as my body zapped through the air, the power reaching boiling point in my skull. My head connect with Lucci's stomach, I felt the power that had grown on my skull get transferred into his body, his body absorbing the raw energy. Lucci's feet went skidding back several centimeters, the ground under his feet cracking from the pressure, although he managed to keep his feet. He seemed shocked at the blow, giving me enough time to jump back, landing on my feet.

"Impossible! That was… But it's just a dog…" Kaku mumbled as they all stared at me.

As soon as the energy had come, it left, leaving my legs feeling weak. I almost collapsed from the sheer shock of having such power, and then having it go that quickly. '_What… What was that._'

"Mamori…" Nami gasped.

"It matters not," Lucci said, straightening back up. "It has to go, just like the rest of those filthy pirates."

"Soru." Lucci disappeared suddenly and I glanced around, trying to find him. Before I had a chance to move, his appeared right in front of me, towering over my small form. "Shigan 'Five'." His clawed hand went arching towards my right side, and I tried to move to avoid it, but I couldn't move fast enough.

The five fingers on one of his hands embed themselves into my side, the claws tearing through the flesh. My yowl of pain drowned out the sound of Nami screaming my name, my vision going black for a few seconds as the pain washed over me.

He tore his fingers out, sending blood into the air as my legs gave out on me. Before I'd hit the ground, he grabbed the back of my neck, lifting me into the air. I squeezed one eye closed in pain, leaving only one to glare into his cat-like eyes. '_Die in a hole, you stinking feline dish-rag._'

He pulled his arm back, and without a word he launched my body through the wall, the hard surface shattering as my body passed through it and into the open air. I felt pain as the wind and air rushed by me, black creeping into my vision.

_'Nami… Chopper…_' I mumbled as I hit something else, dragging me down into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Pipe Hitch Knives: Exactly what it says on the tin. No translation.<p>

Shigan: Literally "Finger Gun". Translated as "Finger Pistol". Most likely this technique is a nod to the Shaolin Monks' fictional technique: "Shaolin Finger Jab". In an SBS, Oda stated that if you were poked in the butt with a "Shigan", you'd die. Also in another SBS, he stated that CP9 agents often sprained their fingers when they failed this technique while they trained.

Gomu Gomu no Gatling: Gum Gum Gatling.

Tekkai:Literally "Iron Mass" and translated as "Iron Body" in English. This appears to be based on the Chinese Martial art technique called "Iron Shirt". Unlike Bushoshoku Haki, Tekkai is based on the user's physical power rather than willpower. Note of interest: Despite being an acknowledged Rokushiki master, Kailfa is never seen using Tekkai.

Kami-e:Literally "Paper Drawing". Translated as "Paper Art" in Viz and "Paper Arts" in FUNimation. In the fight with Enel, Luffy essentially uses a variation of Kami-e. Just not very effectively.

Gomu Gomu no Bullet:Gum Gum Bullet.

Geppo:Literally "Moon Step". Translated as "Moonwalk".

Rankyaku:Literally "Storm Leg". Translated as "Tempest Kick".

Rokushiki:Literally meaning "Six Styles", Rokushiki is a martial arts style. The strength of a Rokushiki user is measured by Doriki. Higher the level, stronger the techniques. Translated as "Six Powers" in both the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub. Encompasses: Kami-e, Geppo, Rankyaku, Shigan, Soru, Tekkai, and Rokuogan.

Soru:Literally "Shave". Translated as "Shave". People outside of the CP9 have shown the ability to imitate this skill. It suggests that "Soru" is the most fundamental of the Rokushiki techniques. This particular skill is _not_ the same as Kuro's "Shakushi" skill. Kuro cannot see when using "Shakushi" and thus leads to unnecessary bloodshed and the chance for him to attack his own crew. "Soru" users can see where they're going, know how fast they're traveling, and know where they are in relation to other people around them.

Shigan "Five": Literally "Finger Gun: 'Five'". Called "Finger Pistol Five" in the FUNimation sub.

**Beta read by praeses**


	53. Shark Train

**Thanks for all the reviews from the last chapter, guys! Here is the next one, so enjoy. **

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><p>'<em>Where am I?<em>' I wondered as I limped around the bare streets, the wind howling through the lanes. '_I hope the others are okay…_' My side ached with every step that I took, but it didn't stop me. Lucci had gotten me good, but it wasn't enough to kill me. Somehow I'd managed to land in a waterway, passing out for a few seconds until I was near the point of drowning. Suddenly, I'd gained consciousness and swum up to the surface to drag myself out.

I'd lain on the pathway for a few minutes, body shaking from the pain as I considered what had happened. I'd heard Ikol's voice in my head just as that strange power came into play. I'd managed to _move _Lucci. Whatever it was, it was powerful. I had no idea who to do it again though.

After I managed to regain my strength, I'd stood back up, going in search of my friends. If I was still alive, Zoro and Luffy should be as well. And Chopper and Nami as well.

"LUFFY."

"ZORO."

"SANJI."

"USOPP."

"MAMORI."

The sound of people calling the names of my friends and myself reached my ears, confusing me when I realized that it didn't sound like anyone I knew. I broke out into a stiff run, carefully stretching my injuries, making my way towards the voices. Skidding around a corner, I stumbled to a stop when I saw a small group of shipwrights.

'_What the hell do you want?_' I snarled, my lips peeling back to show my teeth. '_Where are my friends!_'

"Hey! That's the Straw Hats' dog, isn't it?" one of the men asked the group.

"It is! We found Mamori."

'_I am not going down without a fight. Bring it on_,' I growled, taking a menacing step forward. Injured or not, I would kick their asses.

"Woah! Hold up, dog!" one of them protested, holding up his hands in a motion of surrender. "We aren't here to fight you. That female of yours, Nami, is looking for you all."

'_Nami? Thank the gods! She's okay!_' My body swayed in relief, my snarl dropping.

"She's going to train station to stop Nico Robin, and she wants you all to find her," another chipped in.

'_Robin…? We're still going after her… Something must have happened. Where is the train station!_' I glanced around, ready to break into a run again.

"We'll take you to her! Follow us!"

* * *

><p>They led me to a place where I met up with Chopper, Nami and more shipwrights. I almost tackled Chopper and Nami, glad to see that they were both still alive and in one piece. Once I was sure neither of them would keel over any second, I calmed down enough for Nami to explain what had happened. Robin had only gone with them because they threatened our lives. She didn't want to go.<p>

"Is that right! So Sanji made it on the train!" Chopper gasped. "Usopp's on the train too?"

"So anyway! No matter how we get to Enies Lobby, we can't leave until we find Luffy and Zoro!" Nami exclaimed. "Since this is definitely the direction they flew in… Somehow we need to search around here. Everyone search, please!"

"Leave it to us!" the shipwrights cheered. "We already found the dog, we can find the others!"

'_Please, I found you,_' I snorted. '_Luffy and Zoro won't be that easy_.'

* * *

><p>It started raining not long after the search had begun, but we didn't manage to locate anyone. My nose, and Chopper's, didn't work well in the rain. The tide was coming in higher and receding out further and further; a signal of a big wave coming. We had all gathered back at the shipyard, on higher ground, staring out the receding sea.<p>

"Can it be…" one of the shipwright muttered. "Is it even possible for the tide to recede this much?"

"The sounds of the ocean have stopped," Paulie said, ignoring the rain that was covering us. "Which can only mean that huge waves with come! The back streets will be completely swallowed."

"There's nobody left in the back streets, right? If there are, they're done for!"

'_But… Luffy… Zoro…_' I mumbled, squinting against the rain.

"Hey, you, pirate girl," the old drunk woman from the train station called to Nami. Next to her, standing on the railing, were the bunny and the young girl.

"Kokoro," she said, surprised.

"Miss pirate lady! Hey! Look over there! Something's over there!" the young girl chirped and Nami and I walked over to her.

"Something? What've you been looking at all this time, Chimney?" the old lady asked.

Nami peered at where the young girl was pointing in the distance and I jumped up on the railing next to her, head tilting to the side as I glanced through the rain.

"LUFFY!"

'_THAT'S LUFFY STUCK BETWEEN TWO BUILDINGS. HOW. THE. BLOODY. HELL!_' I snapped.

"Hmm? That Straw Hat… Hey, girl, isn't that your easygoing pirate king? What's he doing there?" Kokoro mumbled, but I hardly heard her because Nami and I were already running to the stairs that led to the back streets. Luffy was in trouble. "HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING? DON'T YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T GO INTO THE BACK STREETS NOW!"

"DID SHE SAY THE BACK STREETS!" some of the shipwrights panicked. "HEY, SOMEBODY STOP THAT GIRL AND DOG!" They started running after us, but we ran faster than them.

"COME BACK HERE!" the old lady yelled. "DON'T YOU WANT TO STAY ALIVE? AQUA LAGUNA IS COMING!"

'_We won't, and can't, live without our captain! We need to save him! WE ARE NAKAMA!_' I growled to myself as a leapt down the stairs several at a time.

"This is awful! That pirate woman and her dog! They went running down the stairs!"

"Come back! Don't go down there!"

We got about half way down the stairs, rain pouring down on us as we ran and then I decided it was taking too long. We wouldn't make it to the bottom in time to go find Luffy. When we came to the first platform on the stairs Nami ran to the edge and launched herself off, aiming to land on the roof of the nearby buildings. I followed her, almost slipping off the roof when my paws came in contact with the slippery surface.

"Hurry, Mamori! We don't have time!" Nami screamed over the wind, running over to edge of the roof, jumping onto the next one. I regained my balance and took off after her, jumping from roof to roof as we got closer and closer to where Luffy was.

'_Please let this work_,' I prayed, rain spraying against my face.

"It's no good…" Nami panted as she skidded to a stop at the edge of a roof. All the other buildings were too far away for us to jump from. I stopped next to her, my eyes landing straight on Luffy who was not that far away from us. Nami took a deep breathe before screaming, "LUFFY! YOU MORON! WHAT'RE YOU DOING UP THERE?"

'_IT'S COMING!_' I yelled, glancing at the oncoming wave from the corner of my eye. We were all going to be washed away if Luffy didn't hurry up.

"NYO… NYOMI!" a muffled voice yelled. "YOU BEHIN' ME? JEEZ, HEY, PLEASH LISSEN T'ME! I WAS FLUNG 'AY DAT PIGEON GUY. AND SHO I FLEW AN' KIN'A GOT SHTUCK IN THISH CONVEN'NT PLASHE!"

Nami's body started to shake as tears poured out of her eyes, mixing with the rain. I leant my wet, soggy body against her leg, closing my eyes.

"….DON'T JOKE AT A TIME LIKE THIS! WHILE YOU WERE SCREWING AROUND, ROBIN'S BEEN TAKEN AWAY! FOR ALL OF US, ROBIN… SHE'S GOING TO DIE FOR US! ROBIN SACRIFICED HERSELF FOR US! SHE PROTECTED US FROM BEING ATTACKED BY THE GOVERNMENT! EVEN WITH KNOWING SHE MIGHT BE KILLED."

"SO... ROBIN WAS LYING AFTER ALL!"

"YES!"

'_YES! NOW GET YOUR ASS OUT AND HELP US SAVE HER!_'

"DON'T WORRY! I WON'T LET ROBIN DIE!' Luffy yelled as the wave seemed to get closer and closer. The sounds of the shipwrights yelling at us to move drifted to me on the wind as I stood strong by Nami's side, waiting for my captain. The sea and waves be dammed; one day they'd belong to Luffy. I wasn't going to bow out to them.

"What the…" Nami panted as the wave rose above is, swallowing us in it's shadow. At the same time the buildings the Luffy was trapped between cracked and then shattered, leaving Luffy free to fling his arm towards us.

"LET'S GO, NAMI, MAMORI!" Luffy yelled, his arm wrapping around the two of us like a rope. Nami and I both cried out in shock as we were pushed together and pulled off our feet, Luffy's other arm latching on to the bridge, pulling us towards it. The waves crashed right behind us, taking out most of the buildings from the force of it. I closed my eyes, praying we would make it in time.

Nami screamed into my ear until we found ourselves sprawled on the platform of the bridge, the waves licking at the bottom of it. I dragged myself into a sitting position, looking up to see Chopper and Zoro both sprawled out on the ground as well.

'_CHOPPER! YOU FOUND ZORO!_' I yelled happily, my body heaving as I panted in and out. That was way too close.

"The made it to the big bridge!" The shipwrights called from the stairs above us. "As expected, they can't be reached there! They did it!"

"You guys are amazing!"

"You've done it, Straw Hat!"

"Huh?" Luffy mumbled as a shadow fell over us, causing us all to look up at the next wave that loomed above us. I didn't even manage to take a breath in before the wave smashed over us, swallowing us in its depths. Before I could be pulled away by the wave, something wrapped itself around my back leg, yanking me roughly from the water.

"WAHH!" everyone cried out as they were thrown on the ground, Paulie dropping the ropes that had pulled us out. He was standing on the platform with us, drenched in rain. The bridge started to collapse under us. Zoro and Luffy got to their feet within seconds, Zoro grabbing Chopper, and Luffy grabbing Nami. Paulie and I got ourselves up and legged it with Zoro and Luffy, the wave biting out our heels like a rabid dog.

'_SIT, BOY_.' I yelled at the waves, pumping my legs. '_SIT. BAD BOY. VERY BAD BOY!'_

"HURRY! THE BRIDGE IS COLLAPSING!" the shipwrights yelled. "RUN!"

"AHHHH!" Just as we reached the platform we all threw ourselves in the air, away from the wave at it slammed into the wall of the level, destroying the bridge we were on mere seconds ago.

"That was one scary wave! I can't believe the sea level rose all the way to Zousenjima! We're in danger, even with standing up here. The tide is subsiding again!" a shipwright said as the rest of us landed on the ground and lay there panting.

"Of course, it'll keep repeating for a second time, and a third time… It'll keep coming back. We should get inland for safety." another agreed.

"You're all crazy…" Paulie panted as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. I gathered enough energy to crawl over to him, dropping my head in his lap in a friendly manner.

'_You saved us all. Thank you_,' I cooed, rubbing the side of my head into his stomach. He looked at me, surprised for a second as he muttered something and ruffled the wet fur on my head.

"Thanks for the help, rope guy," Luffy muttered, breathless.

"How terrifying!" Nami wrapped her arms around herself. "So that was Aqua Laguna! I'm still shaking from fright.

"No, were it like that every year, this island would've been long gone. It's abnormally strong this year!" Paulie said as I stood up, stepping away from him, shaking out my coat.

"Even I was scared for you, you're very lucky to have survived that," Kokoro pointed out, walking over to us as she took a swig of her bottle.

"Ah! Monster Granny! You're here too?" Luffy asked.

"Of course, if I'd stayed at sea I'd have drowned and become fish bait already! Ngagaga!"

"Pirate brother was so cool!" the young girl cheered.

'_Yeah, yeah!_' the rabbit agreed.

Zoro let out a huge gasp as he ripped Chopper off his face from where he'd been clinging. "BUHAAH! I ALMOST SUFFOCATED! YOU IDIOT! DON'T GRAB ONTO MY HEAD AND THEN PASS OUT…"

'_Gentle with him!_' I scolded, growling at Zoro as I walked over to check on Chopper.

"Ah! Zoro! Why were you swallowed by the wave? Were you down there too?" Luffy asked.

"Uh… Not exactly…" he mumbled.

"He got stuck in a chimney!" Chopper chirped, suddenly waking up.

"You got stuck in a chimney! Ahahaha! Zoro, that's stupid! You're funny!" Luffy laughed as Zoro wrapped his hands around Chopper's neck.

"YOU WEREN'T ANY BETTER!" Nami yelled, grabbing the side of Luffy's face and pulling it. "YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS!"

'_Everything is back to normal with these guys… Thank goodness…_' I sighed.

"Ah, where's Sanji?" Luffy asked.

"Oh, yeah, I have something to tell you. Zoro, you should listen too," Nami said before explaining the situation to Luffy and Zoro about how Robin was forced into betraying us and how Sanji and Usopp were on the train with her.

* * *

><p>"What's there to think about!" Luffy demanded, cracking his knuckles. "Let's set sail and go after them!"<p>

"There's no other way," Zoro agreed.

"Hey! Rope guy! Lend us a boat!" Luffy requested. "By the way, is there another sea train?"

"There's only one sea train in the world, the Puffing Tom," Paulie explained. "It's a miracle that the legendary carpenters spent 10 years in cooperation to create."

"Then let us borrow a ship! Give us your strongest and fastest ship!" Luffy said.

"Are you all brainless or something!" Paulie yelled. "Don't you see how rough it is out there!"

"Yeah! You can't set sail in this weather!"

"It'd be suicide!"

"In the past, it has always been impossible to set sail during the Aqua Laguna," Paulie explained. "And now… Look at the ruins underneath us! Before now, Aqua Laguna hasn't even caused even close to this much damage. Even if we give you the biggest war ship we have, it'll shatter into pieces against these monster waves! I won't give you a ship just so you can die out there! Wait 'til morning. After the tides subside, I'll give you a ship." He pointed at the shipwrights. "The rest of you, got to the shelters. We're done with the search."

"If we wait until morning, won't it be too late?" Nami asked. "I know what kind of a place Enies Lobby is… I remember you said that it's the Government's island. Isn't that where the Gate of Justice is? The fact that someone is being taken to Enies Lobby is evidence enough for the crime. The accused would simply be taken through an empty courthouse to a giant, cold, iron gate. After the criminal passes through the Gate of Justice, they will never again see the light of day because there are only two places that you can go to from that island. One is the heart, Justice, the marine's headquarters. The other is an island covered with interrogation chambers and execution rooms housing all kinds of dangerous criminals from all over the world. The great prison of the deep blue… Impel Down. Enies Lobby has no sympathy for criminals, they're sent directly to jail. It's a place that's judicial in name alone! AM I RIGHT! ROBIN IS A WANTED CRIMINAL! NO MATTER WHERE SHE'S TAKEN, ONLY HELL AWAITS HER! WHILE WE'RE WASTING TIME HERE, SHE'S GETTING CLOSE TO THE GATE OF JUSTICE! HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY WAIT UNTIL MORNING!"

"If you're finished, let me remind you of something," Paulie said. "Even if the sea calms down long enough for you to sail away, you shouldn't go there! Don't forget that you're pirates yourselves! Enies Lobby is the front door to the center of the World Government. There has to be very strong military forces defending it. No matter what kind of pirates you are, there's no way you can go and get your friends out of there successfully. Knowing what will definitely happen if you go… DO YOU STILL PLAN TO WAGE WAR IN THE CENTER OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT!"

'…_Of course,_' I replied dangerously, my tail swishing behind me. '_We're pirates! We're already at war with the Government!_'

"Yeah! Just forget it!"

"Aqua Laguna's too strong, you won't be able to set sail before morning!"

"Even if you make it there, you're still doomed!"

"You'll never make it!"

"In that case…" Luffy growled as a wave smashed into the side of the wall, knocking several shipwrights off their feet. "WE'LL TAKE THE SHIP BY FORCE. WE'RE LEAVING NOW!"

"What!"

"Wha!"

"He's going all out!"

"Shocking!"

"OUR FRIENDS ARE WAITING FOR US! DON'T GET IN OUR WAY!" Luffy screamed at them.

"Fine!" Paulie said, stepping up with his rope out. "You'll have to get through me first." Everyone slipped into battle ready positions.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Kokoro yelled, drawing everyone's attention. "Paulie is right. You're not thinking straight Straw Hats."

"You're annoying! It's not like you know-" Luffy started to say.

"You think I don't know?" she interrupted. "You should hear me out first. If we let you go like this, you'll end up dead in a flash. Listen carefully, if there's anything that can survive this unprecedented Aqua Laguna, it's the sea train made by the man in the legend. If you're determined to put your lives on the line for this, then follow me. I'll start the sea train for you."

* * *

><p>"This warehouse has been abandoned for 8 years," Kokoro explained as she opened the door to an underground warehouse. We all followed her down into it. "The train hasn't been touched in 12 years. It might not work anymore, Ngagaga!"<p>

"Hey, that's bad!" Nami snapped.

"I have a key for the lock on the door…" she said as we came to another set of doors, Luffy running ahead and swinging them open. "Hm? It's open."

"WOAH! THERE IT IS! IT'S COOL!" Luffy cheered.

"First off, it's not a good thing," she said as we all entered the cavern to see a sea train modeled to look like a shark. "The name's Rocket Man. It can't carry any passengers on it, because it's a runaway sea train."

"Runaway sea train?" Zoro asked.

"The shark's head was just a joke though," Kokoro laughed.

"It's looks fast!" Luffy called out, sparkles in his eyes.

'…_It looks like Luffy's kind of thing,_' I sweat-dropped.

A door on the train swung open and none other then Iceberg stepped out.

"Hey! It's Uncle Iceberg!" Luffy said.

"Straw Hat… So you were safe, just like the pirate girl said," Iceberg mumbled. "Kokoro, you brought them here?"

"I see you're still alive, Iceberg!" she laughed. "What're you going here?

"If I'm here, I must've had the same idea you had. We can't leave these idiots be." He went and sat down on a box next to train as we walked over to it. "Use it. I've prepared it for you. It has water and coal, it's gathering steam now."

"Uncle prepared it for us!" Luffy cheered.

"Celebrate after you survive. The rocket man is a failure prototype that was built before Puffing Tom. No matter how you adjust the steam rate, you just can't slow it down. You'll easily lose control. I can't guarantee your safety."

'_Luffy likes fast things… That won't bother him_,' I sighed, shaking my head.

"Okay! Thank, Uncle Ice!" Luffy chirped, jumping onto the stairs. "Yeah, let's go, guys! Get on! Old lady, let's go as soon as Nami gets here!" Luffy tripped and stumbled as he made it to the last step. "Ugn… Oops…"

"Luffy, are you okay!" Chopper panicked. "You've been wobbly since earlier!"

"You've lost too much blood," Zoro pointed out, crossing his arms.

'…_Like you can talk_,' I hissed, sending him a dirty look.

"Yeah, I can't maintain my strength right now… If only I had some meat," Luffy grumbled.

"SORRY I'M LATE!" Nami yelled out, running through the door with two men pulling a cart with a large brown sack in it. My nose twitched as I smelt it.

'_Is that…_'

"Nami! Hey. What're you doing! Get on, stupid!" Luffy demanded. "Where were you! Who's the one that said there wasn't any time! What's all the stuff?"

"Meat and Sake," she said and before she could even blink, Luffy and Zoro were raiding the sack.

"SORRY I COMPLAINED."

"STRAW HAT!" A loud group of voices yelled from the doorway.

"These guys," Luffy said, mouth full of food.

"The Franky Family!" Nami gasped.

"At a time like this," Zoro hissed.

'_The fuck y'all want?_' I grunted, glowering at them.

"PLEASE TAKE US WITH YOU!" the leader of the group begged, tears streaming out of his eyes. "We heard from the guys at Galley-La that bro's going to Enies Lobby! He's being escorted by the Government! We wanted to go after them but we can't get past Aqua Laguna!"

"You'd be going against the World Government though," Kokoro pointed out.

"We don't care who it is!"

"We're getting our bro back!"

"We'd throw ours lives away for our bro!"

"Please!"

"You've got to be joking!" Nami snapped. "Do you realize what you've done to us!"

"We're begging you!" the leader said, getting on his hands and knees. "We want to save our bro!"

"GET ON! HURRY!" Luffy yelled.

"Straw Hat…" they all cried.

"Hey, Luffy!" Nami argued.

"It's cool," he laughed, smiling. I turned my head away from Nami to hide my own smile. I may not have been impressed by what they did to Usopp, but we'd gotten them back. We were both even now, why carry it on anymore?

"THANK YOU! WE'LL REMEMBER THIS! We don't have to get on!" the leader said. "We'll just follow you guys out using our king bull. We just need to get it attached to the back of the train! Thank you!"

"Let's go then!" Kokoro laugher, taking another swig of her bottle. "You pirates better not get thrown off! Now leaving Water Seven. Destination: Enies Lobby."

'_Wait, wait, wait!_' I snapped. '_Whose bright idea was it to let the drunk old woman drive!'_

* * *

><p>"ROCKET MAN IS LEAVING THE CANAL! READY YOURSELVES, EVERYONE!" Kokoro yelled as the sea train went flying out of the canal and into the air, aiming for the open sea below up. I had my head sticking out the window of the train, the air blowing straight in my face.<p>

"WOW! WE'RE FLYING!" Luffy yelled from the front of the train where he'd decided to sit.

"FLY, SODOM! GOMORRAH!" voices called from behind us and I looked back to see two giant king bulls also come flying out the canal, the Franky's ship attached to the back of them.

"STRAW HAT!" the leader yelled out. "THE FRANKY FAMILY HAS A TOTAL OF 50 MEMBERS! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE!"

"WOW!" Luffy called out. "SUCH HUGE YAGARA BULLS!"

"They're king bulls," Kokoro corrected. "Top-quality bulls that can roam in even the most violent of waves."

"Fire the link cannons!" the Frankys yelled, firing a spiked bar for their transport that hit the back of the train. The train was jarred violently as it connected, causing it to shake.

"Those damned idiots!" Zoro hissed.

"We're depending on you guys now!"

"DON'T BE SO COCKY!" Zoro yelled back before slamming the window closed and throwing himself down on a bench with some booze. Using my nose, I closed my window and jumped up on the chair next to Zoro, dropping my head on my paws.

"Urgent message from the control room!" the old lady's voice came over the speakers. "We will be latching onto the rail soon, and that means your speed will increase considerably! Please brace yourselves so you'll only receive minor injuries!"

'_Only?_' I asked doubtfully

"So… We'll get hurt no matter what?" Nami mumbled.

I felt the train latch onto the railings, the speed increasing to a considerably dramatic degree, sending Zoro and I flying off the seat. Nami, Zoro, and I all slammed into the back wall and then crumpled to the ground, laying there in shock.

"…MINOR INJURIES!" Nami screamed.

* * *

><p>I twitched, trying to keep myself calm.<p>

"That was an amazing acceleration," the Franky Family leader sighed.

"Ngagaga! It's not acceleration, it's gone out of control!" Kokoro laughed.

"My back," complained a shipwright, rubbing said back.

"That scared the hell out of me!" another shipwright replied.

I twitched again, staring down the unexpected guests that had descended upon the cart after we got onto the railing.

"That wasn't a first-class seat after all…" Luffy grumbled. "I almost got blown away."

"Wait a minute…" Zoro said. "There are some suspicious looking people in here."

'_Yeah,_' I agreed.

"Oh? Who?" the two stray-shipwrights asked.

"YOU!" snapped Paulie.

"YOU TOO!" Zoro yelled.

"The enemy that kidnapped your friends also tried to assassinate Mr. Iceberg," Paulie said. "Since I couldn't stop you guys… I might as well join you! This has nothing to do with Galley-La though, it's personal."

'_And you were so damn against us going,_' I snorted.

"Gahaha! Paulie! We wanted to see who Iceberg's enemies are, so we followed you onto the train!" the larger of the two shipwrights proclaimed lousily. "We hid together in the coal car."

"It's just as I'd thought," the smaller of the two said. "So that's what's going on. We're joining you too!"

I sent Paulie a sharp look, narrowed eyes. '_You haven't told them?'_

"Moreover those enemies are the same as the people who kidnapped our bro!" the Franky leader butted in.

"That's right!" one of the two female Franky twins agreed. "And we know exactly who they are, too!"

"Galley-La!" the other twin snapped. "If anything happens to bro, you're going to pay!"

"Shut up!" Paulie yelled. "The one who's suffering the most is Mr. Iceberg!"

"Paulie!" the larger shipwright said. "Explain something to us first!"

"You know who the real criminals are…" the other continued. "So tell us yourself. We're not stupid. We've pretty much figured it out. We won't be surprised."

"…Well, you probably figured it out since they all suddenly disappeared, but I'll fully explain it," Paulie sighed. "Those guys with the masks were actually Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa and Blueno from the bar. Those four were actually spies from the World Government. They tried to kill Mr. Iceberg!" Both the shipwrights suddenly looked really surprised, their jaws dropping in horror. "YOU DIDN'T KNOW! WHO DID YOU THINK THEY WERE!"

"Michael and Hoyker from the old town?" the large one gasped.

"Yeah! Yeah!" the other agreed.

"Who the hell are they!" Paulie snapped.

I twitched yet again. '_Damn stowaways are going to get themselves killed_.'

"So!" Luffy interrupted. "Franky Family and Galley-La shipwrights… Even though we had some problems with each other in town, our enemies are the same now. In the upcoming fights… The strongest guy is the pigeon bastard! I will definitely kick his ass!"

"That's right," Zoro agreed. "The reason for this fight is to take back what those four people took from us. It won't end until we get them."

"Granma! Granma!" Chimney chirped suddenly, popping out from the control room. "It's the Aqua Laguna!"

'_Yeah, yeah!_' the bunny agreed.

"By the way, Granny Kokoro, shouldn't you be in the control room?" Nami asked.

"Ngagaga," she laughed. "I've told you before! Rocket Man is a runaway train! My job was to get the train on the rails. The brakes are useless, so it's impossible to control it now. All this train does is charge forward at full speed. It's impossible to stop it!"

"What!" Nami yelled. "Luffy, the train is going to run into a tidal wave!"

Luffy was ignoring her, settle for focusing his attention on Paulie and the leader of the Franky family. The stood in a circle, facing each other. Luffy put is hand on the middle of the circle. "We're all heading in the same direction. There's no point in fighting separately. From now on, we're allies!" the other two join their hands in the center. "The sea train ahead of us has our friends on it. By joining up, our power is even stronger. We're not going to be beaten by a wave! We're going to achieve all of our goals! LET'S GO."

"WOOOOH!"

"Ngagaga! Okay, people, see if you can do something about this wave!" Kokoro ordered, and everyone jumped into action. The Franky family leader went to organize his guys to fire cannons. There wasn't much I could do while everyone scrambled around, so I stayed next to Nami, out of the road.

"It rang! The baby den den mushi!" Nami gasped as a ringing sound echoed out from between her breasts.

'_Why is it there?_' I questioned, raising a brow. '_Poor thing…_'

* * *

><p>The sounds of cannons and attacks on the on-coming tidal wave echoed from outside, where they were firing from, which happened to be the nose of the train. Our driver, the old and drunken granny, was sitting back on the bench, laughing as she took another swig of her booze.<p>

"Ngagaga! Good luck!" she laughed. "Everyone aim at the same spot! Even if the rail rises up, it won't rise high enough to cross the Aqua Laguna! If we charge into the wave, not even the Rocket Man can survive the crash! Ngaga!"

"Gyaaah!" Chopper screamed. "ARE WE GOING TO DIE!"

"Ngagaga, that's why I told you guys to be mentally prepared."

"EHHH!" Chimney screeched. "US TOO!"

'_I now see why she needs the booze…_' I sweat-dropped before glancing across the other side of the room to Nami who was talking to Sanji on the den den mushi. She was explaining to him the situation with Robin. '_It's okay though… Zoro and Luffy will get us through… Right_?'

"IT'S TOO CLOSE!" someone yelled outside and I braced for impact with the wave, hunching down as I closed my eyes, all my bravado going out the window along with my dignity.

'_Oh my gods, I'm too young to die!_' I cried, suddenly having flashbacks of the Knock up Stream.

"GOMU GOMU NO SANBYAKU POUND CANNON*!" the unmistakable voices of Luffy and Zoro yelled and suddenly everyone was yelling as we went flying into the air and through a small hole in the wave that Zoro and Luffy had made. My ears rang from the screams until we hit back down on the sea the other side of the wave.

"WE MADE I THROUGH! WE SURVIVED AQUA LAGUNA!" the sounds of a celebration from outside echoed into the cabin.

"Ngagaga! That was impressive!" Kokoro laughed. "You guys sure are something."

'_Of course they made it_,' I coughed, straightening myself up and pretending that I never doubted them. '_I knew it. That wasn't anything to worry about._'

"Wow! Mamori, you're so brave!" Chopper gasped as he stared at me. "I thought we were going to die!"

'_U-Uh…_' I stuttered, staring at him with wide eyes.

"That was fun!" Luffy said as he swung back into the cabin through the window, Zoro not far behind him.

"Wow! Straw Hat! You guys are amazing!" one of the two twin sisters said.

"Something like that shouldn't even be humanly possible," the other added.

"Luffy, come here," Nami said all of a sudden as she held out the den den mushi. "It's Sanji!"

"Oh, Luffy?" a voice came out of it as Nami, Chopper, Luffy, Zoro, and I all crowded around it.

"Sanji! How is it over there! How's Robin?" Luffy asked casually.

"Robin is still in their hands," he replied. "Nami told me everything just now. Every single thing…"

"Oh, yeah? Okay, go kick their asses!" Luffy ordered.

"Luffy! Don't mess around!" Zoro snapped. "Tell him to wait for us! Hey, Cook! Do you hear me? Those guys are dangerous!"

"Forget it Zoro!" Luffy argued. "If it were you, you wouldn't listen to us either."

'…_.True_,' I agreed, knowing that if it was me, I wouldn't wait either.

"That's right!" Sanji agreed. "Oh, and Marimo, are you actually worried about me?"

"LIKE HELL I AM!"

"But, unfortunately, after hearing about Robin's reasons, even if the captain ordered me not to, I would not stop, no matter what!" Sanji declared and suddenly the signal cut off, stopping us from talking to Sanji.

'_I hope he's okay…_' I mumbled.

"Granny! Make this train go faster!" Luffy ordered as he spun around to face Kokoro.

'_Are you crazy!_' I snapped, frowning as I glowered at him. '_Are you really trying to kill us all?_'

"You want it faster? It's already way past its safe maximum speed!" she replied. "It's out of control. I don't know if we'll even be able to stop! Ngagaga!"

'…_Don't listen to him. He's and idiot_. _Our idiot, but and idiot all the same_.' Suddenly I began to feel really dizzy, my early injuries kicking in again. '_Urgh… I need to rest before I pass out._' I managed to make it to the seat, jumping up on it before curling up into a tight ball, the room spinning around me. '_Might as well take a short nap…_'

* * *

><p><strong>Gomu Gomu no Sanbyaku Pound Cannon: <strong>Literally "Rubber Rubber 300 Pound Cannon". A combination of Gomu Gomu no Cannon and 108 Pound Cannon.

**Beta read by praeses**


	54. Leave it to Luck

**This chapter is a little slow with action and stuff - sorry guys. I promise the next one will be a lot longer and a lot more interesting! I'm moving house this week though, and I'm not sure how long my internet will be disconnected for, and how long it'll take to publish the next chapter. It'll be up as soon as I can manage though. Thanks for sticking with me, guys! You're all awesome. **

* * *

><p>I was woken again by Luffy's loud voice yelling, "GUYS! THERE'S A TRAIN IN FRONT OF US!"<p>

'_Don't yell in my ears, dammit Luffy!_' I grumbled, my eyes snapping open to see Luffy leaning in the window above me. He was running around outside again it seemed. This dammed train needed seat-belts so that we could strap him in and keep him still for more than two minutes.

"PUFFING TOM?" everyone in the cart yelled, readying his or her weapons. That had me snapping into action, jumping up to my paws on the seat.

'_I can't have slept that long!_'

"It's too soon…" Kokoro said.

Luffy quickly ducked back onto the roof, and Zoro went to climb out next. As he went to reach out of the window, I grabbed the side of his shirt in my teeth, tugging it to get his attention.

'_Up_,' I requested like a child, jerking my head in the direction of the roof. With dog paws, I couldn't grip the roof and get up there safety – not at the speed we were travelling.

With a grunt, Zoro pulled me up under one of his arms, climbing onto the roof with me. As soon as I was out of the protection of the cart, I was hit with rain and wind, thankful for Zoro holding me, or I would have been blown off. Once he had his feet, he put me down and I trotted up near the front of the roof, glancing into the darkness. Several of the others followed us out, either onto the roof or hanging out of the windows.

"Wow! It's a sea train without an engine!" the Franky leader gasped. "It's just 2 cars stranded there!"

"What!" Zoro called over the wind.

"How'd that happened?" the larger of the two shipwrights gapped.

"Did it get disconnected from the train or something?" the other shipwright muttered, smoothing back his hair against the rain and wind.

"Maybe Sanji and Usopp are inside!" Chopper cried.

'_I hope not!_' I said, narrowing my eyes at the cart as we approached them on the track. '_If they are, we're about to have big problems._'

"Maybe bro's inside!' a twin gasped.

"Luffy, what do we do now?" Chopper asked.

"I'll check it out!" he replied, flinging out his arms, and latching onto the chimney of the train. He took several steps back before jumping. "Gomu Gomu no Rocket*!" Before anyone could even stop him, Luffy was gone. I watched as he busted through the back door.

The Franky leader, using his one little eyeglass that apparently magnified things, said after a few minutes, "He says they're not there, and he's being shot at!"

'_How did he managed to read that… He must speak idiot too._'

"Then those people must be the government!" the small shipwright, the vain one who was still smoothing back his hair, pointed out.

"So what now! If we don't get rid of it, we'll be in danger!" Paulie yelled as he leaned out of a window.

"Okay! Then we'll dismantle it in an instant before we crash!" the Franky leader cried, puling out a wrench.

'_I don't think_-'

"Okay, we'll help too!" the shipwright cheered.

"HEY ZORO!" Luffy's voice called over the wind.

"Roronoa, he's calling for you!" Mr. Vain said, pointing at the cart.

"CUT IT! IT'S IN THE WAY!" Luffy ordered.

"Sure," Zoro replied casually.

"SURE?" the rest of them deadpanned as Zoro strolled right of the nose of the train, pulling out his swords.

The train carts loomed closer and closer, almost to the point we were going to run through them. Every stood tensely as Zoro got in position and said, "Nitoryu Iai… Rashomon*."

The carts neatly split in half seconds before we were going to crash into them, flying either side of us. Everyone had looks of shock and horror on their faces at Zoro's show of strength, other than Zoro, Luffy, and myself. Luffy jumped off of the cart as it went past, neatly landing next to me on the roof as the spilt carts fell into the sea behind us.

"Could you at least warn us before you do that sort of thing!" Mr. Vain snapped.

"I did say to "cut it"," Luffy pointed out innocently.

"But we couldn't have dreamed that he would do that!"

"He's so terrifyingly strong and he's not even the captain…" the Franky leader mumbled, sweating.

'_Zoro_,' I growled in warning as my eyes caught something up ahead. Something else was coming. My spidey senses were tingling.

"Hey, look! It's not over yet!" Zoro pulled his bandana off his arm, tying it over his head.

"Look ahead of us! It's a giant sea king and it's been chopped in half!"

Next to track was a giant sea king, split neatly in half, and it wasn't Zoro's work. '_Who could have the power to do that?_' I mumbled. '_I guess we're about to find out…_'

"THERE'S SOMEONE THERE!" At the call, everyone stared ahead to sea someone running on to the track the sea train used. _Running_ on it.

"AH! HE'S THE SHIP CUTTER!" the Franky leader yelled in panic.

"The Ship Cutter?" Luffy asked as the man on the tracks stopped, turning around to face us.

"He's a captain from Marine Headquarters, Ship Cutter T-Bone! He can chop a pirate ship into pieces, like it's beef! What's he doing here! Okay, crew! Get ready to fire!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"WAIT!" Luffy snapped.

"What! If we don't hurry, he'll chop us in half too!" the Franky leader protested.

"Are you blind!" Luffy replied. "Leave it to Zoro."

"I'll only say this one! Get out of the way, or die!" Zoro yelled out at Captain T-bone.

"This is the road to the home of justice!" T-bone yelled. "I'm a captain from the Marine Headquarters! I shall cut you in half in the name of justice!"

"Then so be it," Zoro replied, getting in position to attack again. I held my breath, knowing that the guy in front of us was no joke. "Our destination lies in the place you're trying to protect!"

"Then come!" Captain T-bone pulled his own giant sword out, holding it above his head. "Chokkaku Hichou Bone…"

"Santoryu Gyuki…"

"ODORI!*" T-bone yelled, flinging an attack that Zoro jumped forward into the air to avoid.

"YUZUME!*" Zoro went flying forward, making a direct hit on Captain T-Bone that sent him flying away from the train and into the water. Zoro landed on the tracks as the train came towards him.

'_Zoro! Get your ass back on the train before we leave you behind_!' I snapped, barking loudly several times.

As the train got close enough to him, Zoro jumped to the side, grabbing onto the train as we went past.

"Wow! We beat the Ship Cutter!" everyone cheered.

'_I'm not sure it's that much of a victory. He seemed like a good, honest man…_' I sighed in doubt. '_Not all marines are bad, and neither are all pirates. He must have been in the cars earlier, and must have run all this way on the tracks to get back to the train…'_

"Let's go back in before we get blown away!"

* * *

><p>"FROG! ON THE TRACKS! THAT FROG APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE!" Luffy's loud voice yelled from outside the cart, drawing out attention. "LOOK OUT! GET OUT OF THE WAY, FROGGY!" Luffy yelled as I ran over to a window and stuck my head out. "WE'RE GOING TO HIT YOU!"<p>

Screams and cries echoed around the place as the train was jarred suddenly, sending it flying through the air and off the railing. Almost everyone was thrown off their feet, and the Franky's were cut off, leaving them behind as the train landed and kept going in the wrong direction. I was thrown back into the ground, flipping over and jumping straight back up as soon as the train hit the water again.

"WAAAH! STUPID FROG!" Luffy voice yelled out after a couple of seconds.

"GERO!" was the reply he got.

I ran over to the window again as stuck my head out, seeing the frog gripping to the front of the train near Luffy. "YOU "GERO" AGAIN AND I'LL EAT YOU!"

"GEH!"

"WE'D ALMOST CAUGHT UP TO SANJI! THEN YOU SMACKED US OFF THE TRACK!"

'_Well, shit!'_ I snapped.

"We've strayed from the rail by quite a bit!" Mr. Vain yelled.

"Granny Kokoro! Can we still get to Enies Lobby?" the Franky leader questioned, yelling out the window.

"Hush!" she yelled back from the control room. "I'm trying, but the current is too strong!"

"What's up?" Zoro asked after a few minutes of silence from the control room.

"The old lady is talking to Yokozuna…" the Freanky leader mumbled, head still out the window.

"So… Granny's a frog?" Chopper asked.

"Come to think of it, she looks a bit more like a frog than a human…" Mr. Vain admitted.

"Keep your mouths shut, or you might get spanked," a twin said.

I stepped back into the cart, sure that Nami will be able to get us back to tracks of to Enies Lobby. I trotted over to the wall, lying down on the ground. I might as well save my energy until we got there, because I had a feeling I'd have to use it all then.

* * *

><p>"I SEE 'EM!" Luffy yelled out. "HUGE YAGARA! HEYYYY~"<p>

"LUFFY!" two voices called out, and I couldn't help but perk my ears when I heard Sanji and Usopp's voices.

"AHH! SANJI!" Luffy yelled back to the Franky's ship as we approached it. "EH! WHO'S THAT?"

"CAPTAIN STRAW HAT!" the Franky family yelled.

"ENIES LOBBY IS IN SIGHT! ALL CREWS, PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"

'…'_bout time,_' I mumbled, slowly lifting myself back up to my paws, arching my back to stretch the muscles. It seemed that we had finally caught up with the Franky Family vessel, and they had Usopp and Sanji with them. '_Let's get Robin back_.'

* * *

><p>"The Sogeking of Sniper Island!"<p>

"That's me!" the masked person replied. "I'm Usopp's friend, I've come to your aid as per his request.

"A hero! I know he was a hero when I saw his cape!" Luffy gaped. "So cool! This is my first hero sighting!"

"Oh! So wearing a cape means he's a hero?" Chopper asked. "So cool!"

Everyone else stood back staring at "Sogeking", well aware that it was Usopp.

'_Chopper… Even with your sense of smell… You still…'_ I stuttered, flabbergasted that anyone would buy it.

"So, where'd Usopp go?" Luffy asked.

"He's safe, so don't worry about him. He told me that saving Robin is my top priority and then he left," Sogeking replied.

"Oh, I see!"

"Oh! Oh! Where' Sniper Island?" Chopper asked.

"It's… In your heart," Sogeking replied dramatically, causing both Luffy's and Chopper's eyes to sparkle.

"Idiots," Nami deadpanned.

"Nami? Mamori?" Sanji questioned, drawing both Nami's and my attention.

"What is it, Sanji?" she replied.

"Hey, the rest of you idiots, you listen too. Before we go and rescue Robin, you will need to know this…."

* * *

><p>"…and that's the whole story," he finished. "Robin has some horrific past that CP9 is using to blackmail her. I didn't say all of this as an excuse for my failure. I just wanted to point out that Robin may not willingly leave with us once we get to her."<p>

"I DON'T CARE!" Luffy ragged. "I WON'T FORGIVE THEM!"

'_You and me both, captain_,' I purred dangerously, kneading my paws into the wooden floor.

"ROBIN, THAT STUPID-"

"SHUT UP!" Nami yelled, smacking Luffy over the back of Luffy's head to stop him.

"WELL IT'S TRUE!" he raged. "WE TRIED TO RESCUE HER, BUT SHE REFUSED TO GO!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE SHE WAS WORRIED FOR OUR SAFETY!"

"SHE SHOULD WORRY ABOUT HER OWN SAFETY! IF WE DON'T DO ANYTHING, ROBIN MIGHT DIE! SHE DOESN'T WANNA DIE, SO WE HAVE TO SAVE HER!"

"THAT'S TRUE BUT-"

I bumped my head into the side of Nami's leg at the same time Zoro said, "Forget it, we were already going to rescue her anyways."

"I don't care who they are, I'm going to send them flying!" Luffy continued. "I have a new attack I wanna try, too!"

Nami just sighed, giving up.

"Hey guys, have a look at this," Paulie called and Luffy, Nami and a few of the others went to look at a map that Paulie had pulled out and laid on the floor.

I stood back with Sanji, Chopper, Usopp, and Zoro. I glanced at Usopp, glad to see that he was okay and that he'd came back. Not able to stop myself, I walked up to him, burying my face into the side of his leg, my ears pressing back against my skull. I'd missed him so much, and I'd been so worried about him…

"…Eh," he mumbled. "Mamo- I mean, what a heroic looking dog! Do you want to team up with me a be my sidekick?"

'_I missed you, you big idiot_,' I whined, pulling my head away so that I could burry it into the palm of his hand.

"I'll take that as a yes," he laughed, ruffling the fur on the top of my head.

I twisted around so that I could sit next to him, leaning against his leg as Paulie continued talking about his map and plan.

"I've been here once before, for railroad maintenance. I drew this based on what I could remember. This's what Enies Lobby looks like. This Gate of Justice is right behind the island, and the only oath to it is through the Judicial Tower."

"What's the black stuff?"

"The black thing is the waterfall, you'll see it when you get past the gate. Anyhow, it's a straight path from the Gate of Justice. If we can't get to Robin and Franky before they reach the end of that path, we fail! Even if we all charge into the island, the only ones that'll have any chance against CP9 are you guys! I've seen how strong you guys are on the way here. So you guys should wait for 5 minutes at the beach. Then, charge in with Rocket Man right through the gates and into the island itself."

"Before that, the rest of us will go in there, open up the main gate and the front gate to make way for Rocket Man," the Franky leader said. "No matter how many of us die, don't stop, just charge right through. There are only about 60 of us, but there may be two or three thousand enemies. Straw Hats! You guys should avoid any unnecessary fights, and just focus on the CP9!"

"Yeah! I got it!" Luffy agreed.

"Hey guys, come take a look at the sky behind Enies Lobby!" Kokoro's voice came over the loud speaker, and everyone glanced out the window.

"WHAT! IT'S SO BIG!"

'_A gate…_'

"That gate never completely opens. It only opens a little bit to let criminals through," she continued. "On the other side of the gate, there's a windless area like the calm belt on the two sides of the Grand Line. Giant sea kings live there. It's impossible to sail past it with a normal ship. I don't know how they do it, but only the marines know how to pass it. In other words, it's just as the pirate girl said. If you want to rescue the folks who've been arrested, you gotta do it before they pass through the gate! There's no time for chit-chat!"

"Let's stick to the plan! We'll go in first!" the Franky leader said, the shipwrights joining him.

"Um… Where's Luffy?" Chopper asked suddenly.

'_AGAIN_!' I screamed.

"He was here a second ago…" Nami mumbled.

"AH! IT'S STRAW HAT!" a voice from Franky's ship called.

"WHAT!" everyone cried as they glanced out to side at Luffy who was sitting on the fence of Enies Lobby.

"WHAT'S HIS PROBLEM! HE JUST LEFT ON HIS OWN!" Paulie yelled.

"DID HE EVEN LISTEN TO THE BATTLE PLAN!" the Franky leader cried.

"It's useless," Nami said, falling to her knees.

"I thought he said, "I got it!"," Sanji sighed.

"To wait five minutes isn't possible for him," Usopp stated.

"That's true," Zoro agreed.

* * *

><p>"Is everyone ready?" Kokoro asked over speaker as the sea train continued to circle around the outside of Enies Lobby. The Franky family and the shipwrights had gone ahead as planned. "In four minutes the seat, Rocket Man, will charge in!"<p>

"How're your wounds?" Zoro asked Usopp.

"It's not a problem because I am Sogeking," he replied.

It was a tense wait in the cabin as we counted down the time until we charged in, and as per the old Granny's request, Zoro had climbed out onto the front of the train to take care of the railing.

My muscles twitched and tensed as I waited nervously for the time to be up so that I could finally go and fight. I'd built up so much aggression and anger over the last few days, but I'd yet to have a chance to let it all out.

"Okay, it's been 5 minutes. The two gates should be open now!" Kokoro called over the speaker. "We'll go one at a time… Samurai-man, we'll leave the iron railing to you."

Everyone waited around as the train chugged through the water, finally heading directly at Enies Lobby. Nami was seated peacefully on the couch, Sanji next to her. Usopp, Chopper, and I were all standing around, holding our breath.

"Everyone, there's been a change on plans!" Kokoro announced suddenly. "Hang on to something tightly!"

"HEY! STUPID SWORDSMAN! WHAT'S THE PROBLEM!" Sanji yelled.

"THEY CLOSED THE MAIN GATE!" the yell came back.

'_I CAN'T HOLD ON. I DON'T HAVE HANDS!_' I snapped, wondering why it always came back to this problems of not having hands nor fingers.

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" Usopp panicked.

"AH! WHAT SHOULD WE DO!" Chopper joined in.

"TURN AROUND, KOKORO!" Nami begged.

"DON'T WORRY! THERE'S A WAY!" Zoro yelled. "PUSH DOWN THE FENCE, FROG!"

"GERO!" the sound of a fence being bent echoed through the air and the train jolted suddenly, but rather than crashing we slid up the fence and found ourselves airborne. Screams echoed around the car as it was enveloped in chaos, the train flying over the gate instead of going through it.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Usopp yelled.

"EH! WE'RE GOING TO DIE?" Chopper replied.

"NAMI, MAMORI, RUSH TO MY PROTECTIVE HOLD!" Sanji called.

'_NO BLOODY WAY!_' I snapped, dodging Sanji's arms.

"IDIOT! ISN'T THERE A HUGE PIT BEHIND THAT GATE!" Nami screamed. "ZORO, DID YOU CONSIDER HOW WE'RE GOING TO LAND!"

"Leave it to… Luck!"

"LEAVE IT TO LUCK?"

'_I make my own luck!_' I barked back, having a sudden wave of confidence for no reason at all. It was all the adrenaline, seeing how close we were to fighting. '_Chopper, get down and cover yourself. This'll be a rough landing_.' I ran over the window, using my muzzle to throw the window open as a blast of wind rushed into my face like a slap. I saw what looked like a giant seconds before we crashed into him, his blubber absorbing most of the impact like a pillow. I dug my nails in, but the impact still jarred me enough that I ended up head-butting the window frame. I righted myself just as the train slid off of him, smashing into the ground at a slower pace. The second the train impacted with the ground, I threw myself out of the window and into the dust cloud the impact made.

Sanji, seeing what I was doing, followed me out. Without waiting for a pause we tackled the closet enemies, throwing attacks left and right before they figured out what was going on. I heard the sound of a sword slicing through the dust cloud, meaning that Zoro had also had the same idea. A kick in the stomach here, a head-butt over there and marines and government workers fell around in within the few seconds it took for the dust to settle.

"WHAT'S GOING ON! AH! WHO'RE THOSE TWO!" a government work yelled as we finally came into view, standing in the carnage of fallen marine bodies.

_Twitch_.

'_THREE! DAMMIT_!'

"Maybe we should greet them first?" Zoro asked.

"That's pointless, idiot!" Sanji replied.

'_I swear, if you two start fighting right now of all time…_' As I growled that, I casually thrust my back paw out, landing a solid blow on the forehead of a marine who had tried to stand back up.

"IT'S RORONOA AND THE OTHERS!" the Frankys cheered. "WE'VE BEEN WAITING!"

"Wait! I've heard of that swordsman!" another armed government worker cried. "He's the Straw Hat's underling, Pirate Hunter Zoro!"

"Hehehe, they called you an underling," Sanji sniggered and I couldn't help but turn my head away from Zoro, my body shaking in silent laughter. Zoro, an underling?

"That's still better than being the nameless pirate 'A', or not being noticed at all," Zoro replied.

'_Did you just sass me_!' I cried in outrage, my head snapping back around to glower at Zoro.

"What'd you say!" Sanji yelled.

"Fine, "B" then."

"DAMN YOU! IF I GET A BOUNTY I'LL BE WORTH TWICE AS MUCH AS YOU!"

"Hey! Stop fighting!" Usopp called, having emerged from the train while we created a distraction.

"Don't mind them, Sogeking," Chopper said.

"Look! Criminals from inside the train!"

"They found us!"

"There must be more! Blow 'em to bits, along with the train!"

"HEY, WAIT! NAMI IS STILL INSIDE!" Sanji yelled as the marines and government works aimed their canons at the train and fired.

'_MOVE_!' I yelled at Usopp and Chopper as they jumped out of the road in time, rolling away from the blasts.

"CEASE FIRE!" someone yelled as quickly as it had begun.

"WHY!"

"LOOK OVER THERE!"

"Stop!" Kokoro yelled, raising a hand that held a beer bottle over her head. "I'm just an old lady!"

"And I'm just a kid with a small animal!" Chimney joined in.

'_Yeah, yeah!_'

"We're defenses! The Straw Hats forced us to pilot the train for them!" Kokoro hiccuped and burst out in a drunken laughter.

"Could there be a drunker hostage!" the Franky leader deadpanned.

"That was close. We almost killed the hostage," a marine mumbled.

"They took an old lady, a kid, and a small animal as hostages! These pirates are shameless!"

'_Your face is shameless too, yet you don't hear us complaining!_' I snapped, offended that they would believe that we'd kidnapped the drunken old woman.

"Huh? The smoke is hovering like a cloud…" a marine noted and everyone looked over and oddly shaped cloud that seemed to keep growing.

"When heat bubbles mix with cool bubbles, the water vapor in the air turns into a cloud," Nami muttered, standing in front of the train.

"Ah! Nami! You're safe!" Sanji cheered.

"This perfect clime tact is amazing! Both its speed and power are totally different from before!" She called, in referenced to her updated looking weapon. "Let's try it on you guys with the power of thunder!"

"What's that girl doing!" the Franky leader yelled.

"Thunder Bolt Tempo!" With that, a rain of lightning shot out from the cloud, striking at everyone in range. Even Nami, who was forced to jump out of the way. "GYAAAA!"

'…_Fuck_.' I looked up and swore as I saw a bolt heading towards Sanji, Zoro, and I.

The first thing she did was run over to Usopp, hitting him over the head with her weapon. "IT HURTS BOTH FRIEND AND FOE!"

"OW!"

"SOGEKING!" Chopper cried. "NAMI, WHY DID YOU HIT SOGEKING!"

"…Just call it a hunch," she sighed.

"You're the one to blame for using it so recklessly!" Usopp replied, rubbing his head. "Plus, Usopp said he never designed it to be used like that. However… That's a really powerful weapon. It beat quiet a few of them."

_Twitch._

'_I CAN'T DECIDED WHO I WANT TO KILL MORE RIGHT NOW! NAMI OR USOPP!_' I raged, dragging my still crackling body off the ground. All of my fur was standing on end from the strike, my ears ringing. Thankfully it was almost nothing compared to Enel's lightning, so it was easy for me to brush it off. It still pissed me off though – even if there were now bodies of marines littered all around us.

"DAMN IT! NAMI! YOU HIT US TOO!" Zoro yelled at her, looking as singed as I was.

"Nami, you reminded me of how it felt when we first met!" Sanji cooed.

"Hurry and apologize, Sogeking!" Nami demanded.

"You're the one who could apologize, idiot!" Usopp snapped as Sanji, Zoro, and I walked towards them.

"Wha… What's the deal with them!" one of the Franky's cried. "I thought that girl was just along for support, but clearly she's one of the main fighters!"

"I wonder where that idiot who rushes in first is," Zoro said.

"Dunno… This island isn't small… So if we have to search…" Nami muttered.

A sudden loud explosion drew our attention over to a building that wasn't too far away and at the same time everyone exclaimed, "WE SHOULD START THERE!"

"Now then…. Let's go!"

"GRR! HOW DARE THESE PIRATES CAUSE SUCH A RUCKUS ON ENIES LOBBY?" I glanced in the direction of a man who was mounted on a… dog. I blinked. Stared. Blinked again. Yes, he was mounted on a dog. There was a whole troop of them.

"GET ON!" Paulie's voice yelled as a large king bull rolled towards us, skates on his feet that helped him stay on land. On his back was a large saddle with several seats

"BAHIHIHI!" the large creature challenged.

"WE'RE SAVED!" Usopp cried.

"DON'T FORGET WHY WE'RE HERE! THIS ISN"T WHERE YOU SHOULD BE!" Paulie yelled

"He's right…" Sanji agreed. "There are enough here to keep us fighting until the sun goes down."

"GRAB THE ROPES!" Paulie cried, throwing several ropes over the side of the charging bull. "WE'RE GONNA CHARGE FORWARD!"

"BRURURU!"

Everyone quickly grabbed onto the ropes, and I jumped at Zoro who caught me under one arm and pulled me up with him. Everyone quickly swung up into the saddle with the help if the ropes, Zoro dumping me on ground as quickly as he could.

"THEY'RE RUNNING AWAY!"

"GET OUTTA THE WAY!"

"IT'S A KING BULL FROM WATER SEVEN!"

"FRANKY FAMILY, GRAB ONTO GOMORRAH! CHARGE FORWARD WITH SODOM."

I glanced back over my shoulder, and sure enough the over king bull was following us, knocking all the marines out of the way as if they were bugs.

"FOOLS! OUR GUARD DOGS ARE MUCH FASTER THAN THOSE OVERSIZED FISH!" the mount dog men cried out as they kept up with us, riding on the back of the dogs as if they were horses. "JUMP ON!" At his order, the mounted dog-riders tried to jump into the back of the two sea kings to get at us.

"They're trying to get on!" Mr. Vain yelled.

"No way!" Chopper gasped.

"Hold on to these ropes!" Paulie ordered, handing the reins over to Sanji.

"You…" Sanji mumbled.

"When you see them… Tell this from me: you're fired!" Paulie said as the three shipwrights got up and walked to the back of the king bull.

"Of course!" Zoro agreed as the three jumped off the back of Sodom.

"THEY'RE ALL YOURS, GALLEY-LA!"

"WE'RE GONNA KILL YOU!" the leader dog rider yelled as they jumped towards the shipwrights.

"Half-knot air drive!" Paulie's rope wrapped around the dogs and the riders, sending them flying in all directions, slamming them into the ground.

"HOLY COW! THE HOBANTAI WERE DEFEATED!"

"Hmph! Those idiots were carless!" another dog rider hissed as him and his squad charged forward. "Normal people can't match our speed! We'll pierce you before you even notice!"

Before they could get very far, the two shipwright brothers quickly dealt this the, Mr. Vain using his swords and his brother using his large canon as a club.

"THEY WERE BEATEN AGAIN! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!"

"They're so strong!" Chopper cried as he gapped.

"Leave them to us!" Paulie called out as we charged on

The two large king bulls continued their forwards charge, plowing through anything that got in their way – people and small buildings alike.

'_BRING IT ON!_' Sodom challenge as he threw up his head.

'_Coming through, dudes!_' Gomorrah joined in, bodies flying around them.

'_Thank you for your help, you two!_' I called out to them over the sound of the Franky's firing at our enemies as we charged through.

'_It's no problem, sister!_' Sodom called back as a bullet whizzed past my head. I glanced to way it came it from only to see a cannonball flying straight at Zoro. Zoro quickly knocked it back with a swing of his sword. '_This is crazy, haha!_' I laughed, head butting a marine that was trying to crawl up Sodom's side to get into the saddle. Chopper and Nami were busy doing the same.

"Looking good!" Sanji called. "These guys are really into it! We're counting on you to take us to Luffy, King Bulls!"

* * *

><p>'<em>Really? That's an… odd story.<em>' I pointed out to Sodom.

"Then just when they were nearly dead inside the sea king's stomach, the brothers, Sodom and Gomorrah were rescued by the Franky Family and this is what they were told: "since we're full now, we won't eat you guys!". From them on, they swore loyalty to the lifesaver, Franky," Chopper translated for the others as if we weren't being shot at every other second.

"So you guys were really just in the stomach of a sea king that the Franky Family was eating…" Nami sweat-dropped.

'_I'll stick with big bro for the rest of my life!_' Sodom, whose head was turned around so face us, announced to Chopper and I who were perched up on the front of the saddle.

'_That's very admirable of you_,' I compliment, grinning widely.

"Hey says "I'll stick with big bro for the rest of my life!"," Chopper said.

"Well, that's fine , but could he watch where he's going?" Sanji asked.

'_By the way, that masked guy that was with us. Is it okay that he didn't ride with us?_' Sodom asked.

'…_What?_' I snapped my head around to check, and sure enough, he wasn't there.

""By the way, that masked guy that was with us. Is it okay that he didn't ride with us?" he said. EH!" Chopper cried.

"…HE'S NOT HERE!"

"WHY! THAT GUY! DID HE FALL OFF!"

"NO, WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, HE WASN'T ABOARD FROM THE START!"

"HE RAN AWAY!"

'…_Usopp_,' I deadpanned.

"Anyway, we can't go back to get someone who didn't ride with us! He'll be fine on his own," Zoro stated.

"But this island is full of guards! He's not Luffy, so alone, his life might-" Nami argued.

"As we've gone through each island, all of us have been slowly getting stronger, even if we haven't realized it," Zoro pointed out. "He, too, with every island he's visited, has overcome death. We don't have anyone in our group who would die so easily! Look, we're almost at the court house!"

Everything was going so well one second, and the next everything went wrong. Before anything of us could do anything to stop it, a large bomb connected with the joint between Sodom's neck and shoulder, exploding on the impact. "BAGYAAA!" he cried in pain.

"Shit! King bull!" Sanji yelled.

'_SODOM!_' I cried in a panic.

"Alright! We've stopped one of them!" the marines and government workers exclaimed, cheering.

"SODOM!" The Franky leader shouted.

"This is bad!" Chopper gasped. "We have to treat him immediately!"

"SODOM! DON'T COLLAPSE YET!" the Franky leader instructed before yelling at us, "YOU GUYS, MOVE OVER HERE. DON'T HESITATE! SODOM'S ALREADY DONE FOR! THAT MORTAR HIT HIS HEART! QUICK, BEFORE WE COLLAPSES! IF YOU DON'T KEEP MOVING, NO ONE WILL GET WHAT'S COMING TO THEM!"

'_GO!_' Sodom yelled at us, turning around his head with blood running from his mouth.

'_BUT-_' I tried to object.

'_GO!_' he insisted.

"He says, "Go"!" Chopper cried, sobbing.

'_Thank you… for everything. I'll be sure to kick some ass for you_!' I whined, reaching my neck out to lick the bottom of his chin before jumping across to the back of the other sea king with all the Franky family. The others quickly followed as Sodom collapse to the ground.

"HERE WE GO, GOMORRAH!"

* * *

><p>"IT'S MORTAR FIRE! DODGE IT, GOMORRAH!" The king bull ducked his head as another projectile impact against a building, blowing up.<p>

'_That was way too close!_' I snapped, growling under my breath. Poor Sodom… We came to save our friend, not to hurt our other ones.

"This central road is bad news, they're ambushing us with all kinds of stuff. We're changing our route!" The Franky leader order, changing the direction that Gomorrah was going in.

"Eh? The mini den-den mushi!" Nami mumbled as it started to ring, causing her to pull it out and answer. "Hello? Who is this?"

"It's us," came a familiar voice.

"It's old lady Kokoro!" the Franky family gasped. "What's she want?"

"Thank goodness! It seems like you're all still alive, ngagaga!" she laughed.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked.

"Well, there was something important I forgot…" she mumbled. "Paulie's map shows that there's no road to the Tower of Justice from the Courthouse."

"That's right. I meant to ask about that," Sanji mumbled.

"Look at the Courthouse! There are two towers on either side, right?"

We all look up at the looming Courthouse, spotting the two towers easily. "Yes, there are!"

"There's a lever in the upper level of each tower… if you pull those a drawbridge from the courthouse to the tower of justice should lower," Kokoro said.

"Granny, how'd you know something like that?" the Franky leader demanded.

"Back in the day, Tom and I came to fix the bridge! That stupid Government forgot that little favor!" she yelled.

"Don't yell at me for it…" he sweat-dropped.

"And Chimney-" she started to say, but her voice was cut off by another.

"Hello! Can you hear me, Pirate Lady? That rubber pirate guy… I saw him climb on top of the Courthouse roof!"

'_Yeah, yeah!_'

"Really! Luffy did?" Nami exclaimed.

"After that, I saw some stones on the rood crumble. It looks like there's some kind of fight going on!" she chirped.

"On the roof? Go it, thanks!" Nami said.

"One more thing you lady, keep the den-den mushi on so we know what's going on over there," Kokoro requested.

"Roger!" Nami replied.

"Now we know where to go," Zoro pointed out.

"Okay, you guys go first!" the Franky leader said. "Head for the Courthouse rood and meet up with Straw Hat! We'll split into two groups on lower the drawbridge!"

"YEAH!" the Frankys cheered.

"IT'S UP TO YOU, GOMORRAH! UNTIL WE REACH THE COURTHOUSE!"

'_COUNT ON ME!_' he cried back second before several large metal balls on chains impacted with him, knocking him into a building. Everyone that was on his back was thrown around as his body smashed the stone building, rubble flying everywhere.

'_GOMORRAH!_' I cried, struggling to keep myself on his back, seeing as I was sitting in front of the saddle rather than in it. Gomorrah let his head drop to the ground, not moving.

"GOMORRAH! SHIT! WHO'RE THOSE GUYS!"

'_What guys!_' I snarled, straightening up as my head snapped around, my eyes landing on the one who threw those large balls.

"So you thought you could easily slip by? You pieces of trash…" one of the men who threw the ball laughed.

"They did it! They took the second one down!" the marines and government workers cheered.

"The pirates don't have a leg to stand on anymore!"

"Surround and arrest all of them!"

A loud speaker suddenly called around the whole area, and probably the whole island, "Calling all Enies Lobby personnel! In the center of the Southeast D-Block, the king bull ridden by the pirates has been halted! All personnel converge and close off D-Block completely!"

"The guards we outran earlier are catching up now!" a Franky called as people seemed to crawl out of every crack and crevice of the building, swarming towards us.

"This is bad!" Sanji hissed.

"They're coming from the front too!" the Franky leader cried.

"They're aiming their mortars!" a twin yelled.

"This is awful! There are thousands of them!" Chopper panicked. "If we're surrounded here…. We'll be done for!"

* * *

><p><strong>Gomu Gomu no Rocket:<strong> Gum Gum Rocket.

**Nitoryu Iai: Rashomon: **Literally "Two Sword Style Draw and Resheath Technique: Castle Gate". In the Viz Manga it's called "Two-Sword Style Castle Gate". While in the FUNimation Sub and Dub, it is called, "Two-Sword Style Sword Draw Rashomon". Built in the year 789, the Rashomon, or Castle Gate was arguably the grandest and most famous gate in Kyoto. Zoro's name for this move can possibly come from the double-gate/double sword connotation, or the fact that this was probably his "grandest" move in his Nitoryu skill lineup at the time. Important note: No Marines or World Government agents were harmed in the usage of this move.

**Chokkaku Hicho: Bone Odori: **Literally "Right Angle Flying Bird: Bone Large Bird". In the Viz Manga, it is called "Right Angle Flying Bird Bone... Bird of Prey". The name is a pun on the "Bon Odori" or Bon Festival.

**Santoryu Gyuki: Yuzume: **Literally "Three Swords Style Cattle Demon: Brave Hoof". In Vis, this is called "Bull Demon Courageous Talons". Early on in the FUNimation Subs it was called "Bull Demon Bold Hooves" but later changed it to "Bull Demon Courageous Talons".

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	55. Karma is a Pain in the Crotch

**So I've finally finished high school! Finished all the exams in the past few weeks, and handed up all my work. I'm free now. And here is a 12,000 word chapter for your guys to celebrate with me. Enjoy. **

* * *

><p>"Hey cook!" Zoro snapped suddenly.<p>

"Yeah, I saw it," he confirmed, and I let out a grunt in agreement. I'd also seen the wall around the top of the Courthouse crack, and I caught a quick glimpse of one of the CP9. "Luffy's already battling with the CP9!"

"EH!" the others gasped.

"Seriously? Dammit, he's already started!" gasped the Franky leader, before glancing around at the enemies surrounding us. "But how do we get through? We're completely surrounded! And because of someone, Gomorrah can't move anymore!"

"SHOOT! SHOOT ALL THE PIRATES OFF OF THAT MONSTER!"

"There's only one way left!" Zoro declared, as he got ready to jump off.

"We just gotta cut through to the Courthouse!" Sanji agreed.

"Let's go, you guys!" the Franky's cheered.

'_I_-' I started to growl, getting ready to get off.

'_HOLD ON TIGHTLY!_' Gomorrah's voice called out, causing me to freeze.

"WAIT!" Chopper yelled. "DON'T GET OFF!"

"Chopper?"

""HOLD ON TIGHTLY!" That's what Gomorrah said!" Chopper translated as the large bull started to struggle back up.

"GOMORRAH!?" the Frankys exclaimed. "You can still…"

"The monster's still alive!"

"Shoot it dead with trench mortar!"

"Shoot the monster!"

'_GOMORRAH! YOU'RE IN DANGER!_' I yelled at him as the government workers and marines got ready to attack to him.

"Fight back! Help Gomorrah!" The Frankys pulled out their weapons, firing guns and cannons at them.

'_I HAVE TO KEEP GOING!_' Gomorrah argued back at me, blood dripping out of one of his nostrils. He started to move forward, only to run straight into a wall.

"Waa! Hey, Gomorrah! Why are you running into walls! What's wrong? Are you really at your limit?" the Franky leader yelled.

"No!" Chopper gasped. "He can't see! They got his retinas! So he's lost his eye sight!"

'_I HAVE TO KEEP GOING!_' he repeated, charging straight into another wall.

"WHAT! YOU CAN'T SEE! GOMORRAH…" the Franky leader cried as the bull charged on carelessly.

"AHH! IT'S RUNNING OUT OF CONTROL!"

"WHAT'RE YOU STARING AT! SHOOT!"

"YOU GOTTA STOP, GOMORRAH!" one twin yelled.

"YOU CAN'T RUN WITH YOUR BODY LIKE THAT!" the other finished.

'_THEY'RE RIGHT!_' I whined in worry.

'_I PROMISED, WITH SODOM!_' he replied. '_I told him, "Leave the rest to me. I'll run your part with everybody too!"_'

""I promised!" he said!" Chopper translated. ""With Sodom! I told him, "Leave the rest to me. I'll run your part with everybody too!"""

"Gomorrah…"

The king bull kept charging blindly, calling out his challenge to the marines. Because he was now blind, he couldn't see the large wall that he was charging directly at, and had no chance of being able to smash through it.

"GOMORRAH! STOP! DON'T RUN RANDOMLY! IT'S A DEAD END! YOU'LL DIE IF YOU CRASH!"

I clenched my jaw together tightly, not wanting his brave effort to go to waste. '_Gomorrah, what ever you do, don't stop. Okay? Just keep going straight!'_

"A dead end?" Zoro questioned. "Do you see one?"

"Nah, I don't see one anywhere," Sanji replied.

Rage was burning through my veins but a took a deep, calming breath before I charged forward, jumping off in front of Gomorrah. Zoro and Sanji did the same, aiming directly for the wall with varied attacks. I curled into a ball, spinning as I picked up speed and power, slamming my paws straight into the wall with as much power as I could manage. Sanji landed one solid kick on the wall, and Zoro cut through it at the same time. The bricks and rubble went flying around us as the marines and government workers behind the wall yelled out and ran away from the flying debris and the charging king bull. Gomorrah charged through the clearing that we had made, collapsing straight to the ground. Sanji, Zoro and I landed neatly on the ground in front of him, my attention on our enemies who were gaping at us.

"We're here! We're at the courthouse, Gomorrah! You did it!" The Franky's cheered as they all started to scramble off. "Well done. We won't waste you and your brother's run! We've gotten in, you bastards! We're gonna rescue big bro Franky!"

"You see him?" Zoro asked, glancing up at the top of the Courthouse. Nami and Chopper made their way quickly over to us.

"Luffy? Nope," Sanji replied. "If he's on that roof, there's no way to climb up there. Unless you're made of rubber."

"How many CP9 members did you see?" Nami questioned.

"Just the huge horned guy. It's only one guy, but…" Zoro grunted.

"It's unlikely they'd be out in the open up there," Sanji pointed out. "Especially when they have Robin and Franky."

"At any rate, we've got to catch up to Luffy!" Chopper said. "We've got to hurry and save Robin!"

"Hurry! To the front of the courthouse! They haven't lowered the bridge yet! Corner them!" our enemies yelled as something came flying towards us out of the corner of my eyes, and I got ready to dodge but the frog appeared before us, catching the flying object with ease.

"Woah! That frog's amazing!"

"It's the same steel ball that beat Gomorrah! Who the heck is that!"

We looked over to where the ball came from only to see three large figures trying to run away behind the building.

"Those three are trying to escape!"

"Why are they running!" Chopper gasped. "They're the ones who attacked us…"

"Idiot!" Zoro snapped, but Sanji was already gone from sight. "Chasing fleeing enemies one by one is a waste of time!"

A loud crash echoed as a body came flying back into the square, followed by Sanji. "Shut up already! It's confirmation. We should know what kind of enemies we're up against, right?"

"What is this guy?" the Frankys questioned as they stared at the fallen warrior. "He's super strong! Is this another special unit, like the Hōbantai*?"

"I bet there are a bunch of them out there," Sanji replied as he strolled back over to us. "Be careful."

"Let's hurry!" The leader declared as charging enemies started to appear. "The guards are on their way! Oh yeah… How are we gonna open that huge door?"

'_That's the least of our worries_,' I grunted, following at Zoro's heels as he walked towards the huge door of the courthouse. With one swing on his sword, the bottom of the door crumbled, creating an entrance for us.

"Stop wasting time, guys!" Zoro ordered. "We're going ahead!"

"WOOA! HE CUT THROUGH THAT THICK STONE!"

"Zanbai," the twins addressed their leader. "The two of us will split up to the left and right and pull down the levers for the drawbridges!"

"Got it!" he replied. "I'm counting on you!"

The rest of what he was going to say was drowned as I sauntered into the Courthouse with Zoro. My eyes flickered over the marines that were sprawled around the Courthouse, all getting ready to attack Zoro and I. In one swift movement, Zoro let an attack fly that took out all of them in a whirlwind, sending them flying all over the place. The others quickly strolled in after Zoro and I with a handful of the Franky's following them.

"It seems like there aren't that many people here," Zoro casually remarked. "I guess we can proceed at once, but… What the heck is that?" Zoro asked and my eyes flickered to where he was looking only to see a three-headed man standing on a platform that looked like a judges desk.

"Whoa! A three-headed man! I've heard of a three-headed watchdog, but… what is that thing!"

'_… Ugly is what that thing is,_' I snorted, flicking my tail in a dismissive manner.

"Silence! This is the holy building of judgment!" one of the three heads yelled. "We will now announce a verdict that will seal your fates!"

"Right! Guys, just run towards the roof where Straw Hat is!" the Franky leader yelled. "Yokozuna and a few others will stop any pursuers at the door! We've got your backs so you guys just charge on though!"

"Gotcha," Zoro replied.

I glanced back at the frog and a few Frankys that were stopping anyone from coming through the gap in the door that Zoro had made. '_Oi! Froggy! Kick some ass, yeah?_'

'_YO!_' he croaked back, slamming his front foot into the face of a marine.

"Hey, look at that! It seems like a trial's begun!" Nami pointed out, gesturing towards the three-headed judge.

"Ignore it. Too much trouble," Zoro ordered. "Which way is it?"

"Your crimes are as follows: First: stepping into Enies Lobby, a property of the World Government, is–" he ranted as we ignored him.

"Look up towards the front… there's a staircase on each side! We can go upstairs using those."

"How rude! They ignored the holy trial!" a government worker from a group gathered at the front of the room gasped.

"Unforgivable! They're making a mockery of the judicial island!" a marine joined in.

'_Out the road, suckers!_' I ordered as I sprung forward, charging towards the front row of them.

"Don't be fooled by the dog! It's as dangerous as the rest of them! Fire at it!" one of them yelled as they leveled their guns at me.

'_Get me if you can_,' I snickered, feinting to the left as a hail of bullets hit the ground where I was seconds ago. I then feinted to the right as the next wave came, appearing right before them. I pounced on them before they managed to fire another volley, dancing on light paws between the front row of them, biting, nipping, jumping and kicking as I deemed necessary. The first group went down, collapsing on the ground as I skidded to a stop, eyeing the ones left. I pulled back my bloodied lips to show of my teeth teasingly.

"Mamori, move! You're taking too long!" Zoro ordered and I looked back over at him as he charged forward, readying his attack.

'_Wait! What the hell! That ain't fair, I tell ya!_' I yipped as I jumped out of the road.

"Enbima Yonezu," Zoro hissed as the air around his began to shift, creating the illusion of a figure behind him.

"What! His swords seem to be bending!"

"Oni Giri*!" In one swipe Zoro cleared out the rest of them, sending them flying across the room again.

"I guess he must've cut the door open earlier," one of the three heads remarked.

"Let's move, the path's clear now!" Zoro ordered, charging forward.

"Okay!" Nami chirped as her, Chopper and I followed him.

'_Take away my fun, why don't ya?'_ I snorted, sending him a glare sideways.

"And why isn't he the captain?" one of the Frankys sweat-dropped.

"WAIT! WAIT! WAAAAIT!" Sanji yelled, coming out of the nowhere as he caught up to us. "GET OUTTA THE WAY, REINDEER AND IDIOT SWORDSMAN! THIS IS DANGEROUS ENEMY TERRITORY! I WILL CLEAR THE PATH THAT NAMI AND MAMORI TAKE! GET OUTTA THE WAY!" With that said he jumped forward, kicking at Chopper first, who blocked it easily because he was in his human form, and then Zoro he blocked with his sword.

"WHY ARE YOU STARTING A FIGHT!" Zanbai bellowed in the background.

'_Don't you start this bullshit again, because I will be the one ending it. You hear me?_' I hissed.

Zoro stumbled back before snapping, "YOU WANNA FIGHT!"

"Shut up!" Sanji snapped before turning to Nami and I. "Nami, Mamori, this way, please! Just follow me, and only me!" With that said Sanji started to run up the steps, Nami and Chopper following him without complaint. "Oh! Yeah, Robin is waiting for my rescue! I wonder if she's now crying from the loneliness." And with that he took off at top speed, leaving the rest of us behind.

'_What a strange place his head must be_,' I remarked, glancing to my side to see if Zoro was ready to go yet. I blinked. Then stared. Then I swore, loudly, stamping my paw against the ground. '_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, ZORO!_'

Hearing my cry, Chopper skidded to a stop, staring at Zoro who was running completely the wrong way. "AHH! ZORO WANDERED OFF SOMEWHERE WHILST WE WEREN'T LOOKING! WAIT, ZORO, THAT'S NOT THE WAY!"

"I SAID THE STAIRCASE! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY GO THE WRONG WAY!" Nami screamed. "ARE YOU AND IDIOT!"

"SHUT UP!" Zoro snapped as he ran back towards us and started up the stairway. I shook my head and quickly followed him. "Your explanation was bad!"

"How could it be bad!" she argued.

"Zoro, I'll try and make a medicine for it next time! A good medicine for a hopeless idiot!" Chopper remarked causing me to snort loudly.

"Don't call me a hopeless idiot!"

"DON'T IGNORE ME, THE PRESIDING JUDGE!" the three-headed man yelled as we reached the top of the first flight of stairs, jumping towards us. His massive sword smashed into the rock between us, sending rubble flying as we all got out of the way. The judge went to fall back to the earth, but at the last second he grabbed onto the side of the platform, holding himself there.

"Chopper, Nami, Mamori! Go an ahead!" Zoro ordered, standing in front of us. "I'll follow after I finish this up."

"What and impertinent pirate! I'll show you how frightening I can be–" he started to say, only to be cut off as he was pulled down to the ground bellow the stairs.

"Franky family!" Nami yelled as we glanced over the side to see them standing around him.

"We'll be our opponents, Cerberus!" the declared.

"Let's go!" Zoro ordered, continuing with running. I was quick to follow his example.

"Ah… Okay," the other two hesitated before following.

* * *

><p>In the chaos of making our way up to the top of the Courthouse, I'd been separated from the others. It didn't worry me all that much because we were all heading to the same place in the end, so I knew we would all meet up again.<p>

'_How many of you bastards are there!_' I snarled as I fought my way through hoard after hoard of enemies. No matter how many I took out, more kept popping up to take their place. '_OUT OF MY WAY_.' I nailed the last one of that group in the crotch, dropping him.

I snorted and trotted off, my ears twitching as I tired to figure out which way the next group would come from. Might as well be ready for them. My ears twitched as a faint yell reached my ears, followed by a cracking sound, causing me to pause. '_What is that…_' I mumbled as the ground started to shake under my paws. Before I had the chance to do anything, the ground under me exploded with exponential force, sending me flying upwards with enough strength to make my senses swirl.

"AHHH!" two voices yelled as the blast forced its way up through the floor above me, picking up others as we flew through the roof and up into sky. The force suddenly evaporated, letting us fall back down towards the ground, I flipped over, landing neatly on my paws, my head still spinning.

"Landed," a voice sighed in relief and I glanced next to me, spotting Nami. Chopper crashed on the ground next to her, looking as dizzy as I felt.

'_The hell was that?_' I demanded, looking back at the hole we had come through.

"I should have done this from the start to climb up to the top," Zoro grunted as he pulled himself out of the hole.

"I KNEW IT WAS YOU!" Nami screamed as Chopper got back onto his feet, rubbing him head. "WE'RE STILL ALIVE ONLY BECAUSE WE TOOK AN INDIRECT HIT! IF WE'D BEEN HIT DIRECTLY, WE'D BE DEAD BY NOW!"

"Ah? What's going on?" Zoro questioned, confused.

'_Oh, nothing much,_' I growled, bearing my teeth at him. '_IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL US OR ANYTHING! WHAT SORT OF IDIOT WOULD JUST BUST THEIR WAY THROUGH INSTEAD OF USING A DAMN DOOR!_'

As if in answer to my question, the roof exploded in a different spot as Sanji came flying through, flipping over and neatly landing on the ground. "I'm definitely the first one to get here," he mumbled to himself. "Now, Robin, you've been waiting! I've come to rescue–" He finally looked in our direction. "Moss-head! How'd you get here before me!"

"Ah, you're late. Did you get lost?" Zoro asked.

'_NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!_' I snapped.

A faint screaming drew our attention as we looked to the side only to see Sogeking flying towards us.

"AH! SOGEKING!" Chopper yelled.

"He's flying!" Nami gasped.

"What's he been doing all this time?" Sanji questioned.

"I wonder if he can land safely?" Zoro asked.

'_Probably not_,' I sighed. And sure enough, he crashed into the ground, leaving small crater.

"SOGEKING!"

'_He'll live… We have bigger problems right now, though._' I glanced toward Enies Lobby. The main building stood before us, and on the balcony was Robin. But it wasn't just Robin. It was also the CP9 we'd met, and a few other people we hadn't met yet. Standing on the Courthouse roof with us on a pillar that made the wall, was Luffy.

"I beg of you, Robin!" Luffy yelled towards her. "I don't care what you want, whether you choose to live or to die! But whatever you decide, say it while you're with us!"

"That's right, Robin!" Sanji joined in the yelling.

"Robin, come baaack!" Chopper cried.

"Hey, Sogeking, are you okay?" Zoro questioned.

"Of course," he replied, dragging himself back up to his feet. "Such a small fall won't stop Sogeking."

Now that everyone was back we walked towards the wall Luffy was standing on, neatly jumping up onto it as we stared defiantly at our enemies. The order went: Nami, me, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper. We all lifted out heads high, refusing to back down.

"Now, leave everything to us!" Luffy yelled.

"When the draw bridge is lowered, we'll be able to get across," Zoro commented.

"Drawbridge?" Luffy questioned.

"Yeah. The Franky Family is working on lowering it now. You rushed ahead too quickly and went to the roof, so we had to get up here in order to regroup."

"Robin…" Nami mumbled as she looked emotionlessly back at us.

"CP9!" a scrawny member of the group that was standing next to Robin yelled. "Listen, guys. I give you permission to wipe them out, but take them down at the Tower of Justice! It's not like they could up here to begin with!" The way he was ordering them around probably meant that he was the leader. "Wahahaha! You stupid pirates! Do you realize that no matter how brave you are, nothing would ever change? We have the full strength of an assassin group, CP9! We have the heavy Gates of Justice that human power cannot open! Moreover, I now have the authority to use this golden den den mushi to trigger the Buster Call!" The name caused Robin to looked shocked as the weirdo turned on her. "That's right! Exactly 20 years ago, it's the power that obliterated your hometown, Robin Nico! The word "Ohara" disappeared from the following year's map, didn't it?"

"Robin's home town?" Chopper questioned.

"Shitty mask. I wanna kick him down into the waterfall right now!" Sanji hissed.

"STOP IT! DON'T DO THAT!" Robin begged the weirdo.

"Oh, I like that response! It's very thrilling. Does that mean I should press the Buster Call's trigger?"

"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT'LL HAPPEN IF YOU PRESS IT!" Robin screamed at him.

'_To get that sort of reaction from Robin…_'

"Of course I know it very well!" the masked weirdo laughed. "The chances of you pirates getting off this island will become zero. By just a push of the button on this golden den den mushi… What? Did you have something else in mind. Wahaha!"

"IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE! STOP IT!"

"Eh? Don't get cheeky with me now!" he hissed.

"You said Ohara disappeared from the map, didn't you? Can you see any humans on that map? You could only be so cruel because you look at the world like that!" she yelled, dropping to her knees. "Ask for the Buster Call now, you'll be blown up too, along with Enies Lobby."

"Don't be stupid! How could we be blown up by our own allies attack! What're you talking about!" weirdo snapped.

"20 years ago, just one attack took everything from me. As well as ruining the lives of many people." Robin stood back up slowly. "That is the Buster Call. That attack is now aimed at the dear nakama that I've finally found. The more I wish to be with you, the more my fate will bare its fangs at you! No matter where I go to, I have this great foe that I can't shake! Because my enemy is the world and its darkness! First, the incident with Aokiji. And now, this! I've gotten you involved twice already! If this goes on forever, even good-natured people like you will eventually consider me a burden! In time you'll betray and jilt me! That's what I'm afraid of! That's why I didn't want you to come save me! If it's a life that I'll eventually lose, I want to just die right here, right now!"

"Robin…" Chopper and Sanji mumbled.

"So that's how it is," Zoro grunted.

'_I'm finally starting to see it all_,' I sighed sadly. '_She's just as much of an idiot as the rest of the crew. And I thought she was the smartest of all of us._'

"Wahaha! I see… That's so true!" weirdo laughed. "Of course no one could think you're not a burden with all your problems! Wahaha! Look at that symbol, pirates!" He pointed to the flag above him. "That mark represents the unity of over 170 nations in the four seas and the Grand Line! This is the world! Do you understand how insignificant you are to stand up against us? Do you understand how big of an organization was after her?"

"I understand Robin's enemy very well," Luffy replied. "Sogeking."

"Hmm?"

"Shoot that flag," Luffy ordered.

"Roger!" Usopp replied, loading a bullet into his slingshot on a stick. "New weapon: the great pachinko called "Kabuto"! Carefully observe its power. Hissatsu Firebird Star*!" As he shot the bullet, it exploded into a fire ball that took the form of a bird, heading straight for the flag. With one hit the flag exploded into a ball of fire, lightning up the sky.

"ARE YOU BASTARDS INSANE!" weirdo screamed at us. "DON'T YOU DARE TO EVEN DREAM THAT YOU'D SURVIVE HAVING THE WORLD AS YOUR ENEMY!"

"I'D BE HAPPY TO LIVE WITH THAT!" Luffy screamed at the top of his voice. "ROBIN! I HAVEN'T HEARD IT FROM YOU YET! SAY YOU WANNA LIVE!"

Tears dribbled out of Robin's eyes as she stared silently at us in shock. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again, pausing for a second. She then opened it again, tears streaming now as she yelled, "I WANT TO LIVE! TAKE ME WITH YOU TO THE SEA!"

"Waaah! I love you guys, damn it!" A man from the other side, who I'm guessing is Franky, cried, wiping his eyes.

"The draw bridge is lowering," Chopper pointed out.

"I guess they've done their job well," Sanji smirked.

"I… I'm trembling from the excitement," Usopp mumbled in a shaky voice.

"Hurry up and lower it," Zoro crackled, smirking maliciously.

"What an evil face…" Nami remarked.

'_I'm SO ready to kick some ass_!' I barked.

"HERE WE GO!" Luffy declared. "WE'LL MOST DEFINITELY SAVE YOU!"

The drawbridge only managed to get halfway down before an explosion at its base caused it to seize up.

"CHIEF SPANDAM!" someone yelled. "FLEE FROM THE JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION TOWER!"

"DON'T GET IN THE WAY!" Luffy cried. "DAMMIT, WHO IS THAT?"

"Al-alright! Good work!" Spandam panted. "Let's get to the gate of Justice before they can make it over!" he grabbed Robin roughly, planning to drag her with him. "Come, Nico Robin! Someone else take Cutty Flam!"

"ROBIN!" Chopper called out in worry.

"Heh, you pirates don't have a chance! We've got the assassination team, CP9 here!" weirdo bragged. "The girl who lived on the island which sought to revive the ancient weapons, Nico Robin, and the man who has the blueprints for that weapon, Clutty Flam… We must take this glorious chance before it runs away right before our very eyes!" Franky pulled something and held it up in front of him with a smirk. "Is that… It can't be! The blueprints for the ancient weapon, Pluto!"

"It's the real deal," Franky confirmed. "Can ya believe it? Lucci, Kaku, you both should know too, right?"

"I can't believe it… You bastard, you were keeping it inside your body this whole time," Kaku said.

"The… the real thing! It's the real thing? Hand it over! Hand it over to me! Hand over the blueprints I've always wanted!" Spandam demanded.

"Nico Robin," Franky said. "There are rumors all around the world that you wished to abuse the power of the weapons. But I know you're not a demon. Nothing that the shipwrights of Water 7 inherited over generations was the skills to "create weapons". Hey, Spanda. Master Tom and Iceberg staked their lives on protecting these sheets of paper. But! If the ancient weapon fell into the hands of an utter moron like you and things started getting violent, another weapon would be born. One that would stop your running around unchecked, as was the wishes of the first weapon's designer! Should Nico Robin use it, then surely you'd be able to awaken the weapon! She's a dangerous woman! But those are the true friends that are defending her. So, I'd like to take a gamble here. I bet there's only one way for me to fulfill the wishes of the designer right now.

"I'm getting tired of your yammering! Hand it over! They're mine!" weirdo snapped, but Franky simply held the papers to the side and breathed fire on the paper, destroying them in his hands. "AHHH! BASTARD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! DAMMIT, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"The blueprints I carried for the purpose of creating the power to fight back… That your government tried to take… Originally, I was just supposed to keep it unknown from the rest of the world… But, should the time come that it sees the light of day, it must be destroyed! But now, the power that opposes the weapons had been lost! And if Nico Robin were to slip through your fingers, you'd be hopeless! So, if the Straw Hats win, you'll have nothing left. I'm betting everything on their victory!"

"Make a fool of me, and I will end you here and now!" Spandam hissed.

"BROOO!" a group of voice called below up, and I leant forward, looking down at the Franky family.

"Brother, we came to save you!"

"We came with Mr. Straw Hat's group!"

"Sodom and Gomorrah also worked hard!"

"Come back to us, brother!"

"Are you hurt at all?"

"You… You guys…" Franky mumbled, tearing up slightly before bawling loudly. "YOU GUYS CAME ALL THIS WAY TO SAVE ME! YOU CAME! AH GNEW AH COULD COUND ON YOUB!"

"BROTHER!"

"IDIOTS! FOR ME…. I'M NOT CRYING!"

'_No, you're bawling like a baby.'_ I quirked a brow in his direction.

"SHUT IT, ALL OF YOU!" Luffy screamed down at them.

"ARE YOU A DEMON!" Nami and Zoro demanded.

"ROBIN'S WAITING! HURRY IT UP WITH THE BRIDGE!"

"STARW HAT!" Franky called. "You looked after my precious subordinates… Now let me show you the super battle power of their leader, the great Franky!"

"DO AS YOU PLEASE! I STILL HAVEN'T FORGIVEN YOU OVER USOPP, THOUGH!" Luffy snapped and I smirked in agreement.

"CUTTY FLAM…. GIVE BACK MY BLUEPRINTS!" Spandam yelled, shoving Franky off the balcony.

"WAAH! BROTHER!"

"BROTHER IS FALING INTO THE WATERFALL!"

"WHOA, FRANKY!" Usopp gapped.

"Hey, pirates!" Kokoro's voice game through the den den mushi as Nami pulled it out of her pocket.

"Eh? Miss Kokoro?" Nami questioned.

"Listen to everything I have to say! Enough with your hesitation!" she snapped.

"Hesitation? But the bridge is only half down!" Nami argued.

"Halfway down is good enough! I'll get there in 4 seconds! I'm gonna fly my way through the waterfall," she declared.

"Was that the old hag? What's she talking about?" Luffy demanded.

"I'm not quite sure…" Nami replied.

A heard something that made my ears twitch and my head lift up. '_That sounded like…_'

"The sea train's whistle," Luffy said before an eerie smile broke over his face. "Heh."

"What's with that "Heh" while smiling?" Usopp questioned nervously.

'_Luffy…_' I cautioned, my spidey senses going over time. They were screaming at me to run. Fast. '_What are you planning?_'

Luffy flung both his arms out behind us, stretching out as they wrapped around Nami and Chopper who were at the ends of the lines. Looks of shock crossed everyone's faces as we all opened our mouths to protest, only to have Luffy jump off, taking us with him.

"LET'S GO!"

Zoro latched onto Luffy's arm with one of his own, his spare hand grabbing the back of my scruff as he pulled me down with him.

'_LUFFFFFFFY!_' I howled as everyone around me screamed in shock, falling towards the half down drawbridge. '_I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!_'

"ROCKET MAN!" Franky, who was also falling called as the sea train came flying through the bottom of the Courthouse, using the drawbridge as a ramp. I felt a sense of helplessness wash over me as we smacked into the iron train, getting plastered there from the force as it went flying off the ramp and into the air. The only thing that stopped me from flying off with my crappy paws was Zoro's grip, leaving me with enough energy to scream mentally with the rest of them. Franky was also a victim of it; it slammed into him too, taking him with us.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"WE'LL CRASH!" Luffy yelled as he went flying into the bottom of the opposite tower.

'_EVEN LUFFY IS PANICKING! THAT IS NOT GOOD!'_ I cried as we slammed into the building, throwing everyone off in a shower of rubble and stone. I felt myself get thrown into the air, slamming into the ground as a rain of rubble landed on top of me, burying me. I laid still, as the sound around me died out. '_I'm… I'm alive?_'

"ALRIGHT! WE'VE MADE IT!" Luffy's loud voice yelled and I felt some of the rubble shift. "Thanks for the help, monster Granma! Hey, guys! Get up already! That was nothing!"

_Twitch._

"W-We're not made of rubber like you…" Sanji panted as everyone shuffled around and got ready to throw the rubble off. "There's n-no way… for h-humans… made of flesh and blood… to take a plunge like that… and stay…. UNINJURED!" At the same time everyone sprung up, weapons and fists ready to kill Luffy.

"They're all fine," Luffy said.

'_Fine? FINE! DO WE LOOK FINE TO YOU!_' I snarled, shaking off the dust from my bruised and battered body. That was going to hurt like hell tomorrow.

"You guys are all weird," Franky pointed out. "Just so you know."

"There's a staircase over there! Let's hurry and get to Robin!" Luffy ordered, not messing around.

"Wait," an alien voice said.

"What's that?" Luffy asked and we looked to the corner of the room, where a weird man in a suit was clinging to a wall, watching us.

'_It's… It's the real Humty-Dumpty_,' I gaped in amazement.

"You won't find Nico Robin," Humpty-Dumpty declared. "Even if you go to the room you saw earlier. Lucci took her to the Gate of Justice. And the Chief too. He's heading there now, but I won't tell you how to get there. And us CP9 won't allow you to follow because we've received an order to obliterate you! Chapapa. There's no way for you to free Nico Robin, unless you defeat us. Look at this." He held up a key.

"A key?" Luffy asked.

"A key to what?" Nami mumbled.

"It's a key to the seastone handcuffs that Nico Robin is restrained with!" he declared.

"Seastone?" Chopper questioned.

"It's a stone that nullifies devil fruit power," Nami answered. "I heard it has the same effect as when you guys fall into the sea."

"Is that why Robin's being obedient even though she's strong?" Chopper demanded to know. "I bet she's mortified!"

"Should you managed to rescue Robin Nico somehow, seastone is as hard as diamond, so her handcuffs will never come off. If you don't mind that, then go rescue her now. Chapapa," Humpty-Dumpty laughed.

"THEN GIVE IT TO ME!" Luffy was having none of his bullshit, and threw his fist as Humpty-Dumpty who disappeared before it could make contact, leaving Luffy to punch the wall. "Looks like he can use that technique too…"

"Don't rush," his voice called from the other side of the room. "I never said this was the real key."

"WHAT!"

"Maybe it's the key to a different pair of handcuffs. Chapapa," he laughed as he kicked the air so that he was floating above us. "There are six CP9 members in this tower, each of us holding a key and waiting for you."

"Then we won't know if it's real or not until we take the keys from you and try them on Robin's handcuffs?" Zoro guessed.

"What a crappy way to play for time!" Sanji hissed. "While we're wasting our time here, you're probably planning to take Robin to the Gate of Justice, aren't you?"

"But we should take care of Robin first," Nami argued. "We should make sure to get Robin back, and take care of the keys afterwards! Forget about him, and let's hurry!"

"Chapapa," Humpty-Dumpty laughed. "You're smart. But if you do that, I'll just toss this key into the sea! We're just giving you a chance. See ya." And with that, he was gone.

'_Bastards!_' I spat, growling under my breath.

"YOU! WAIT!" Luffy yelled, charging after him.

"HEY, WAIT!" Zoro snapped, reaching out and grabbing Luffy's cheek, dragging him back. Usopp and I quickly jumped forward, trying to help subdue a struggling Luffy. I bit down on the back of his shirt, pulling him back with Zoro.

"LEGGO OF ME, DAMMIT!"

"HOLD IT FOR A BIT! WAIT UNTIL WE FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE ALL GOING TO DO!"

"Is Lucci that pigeon guy?" Sanji asked as the rest of them ignored us.

"Yeah, he is," Franky confirmed.

"If he's with Robin, we can just let Luffy go ahead," Sanji declared. "Luffy, just go and beat up that pigeon guy! Excluding Luffy, there is seven of us. We'll find the six CP9 that are here, get all six keys for Robin's handcuffs, and then meet with Luffy. If Robin enters the gates, it's all over. Time is very important here."

"It's a waste of time to lose, so win, even if you die!" Zoro order, letting go of Luffy. Usopp and I followed his lead, setting Luffy free.

"YEAH!"

* * *

><p>My paws lightly touched the cool stones under them, my body slinking silently through the corridor as I tried to make as little noise as possible. Having decided to get the keys, we all split up and went separate ways. It was really a lucky-dip to see who we'd get to face. I just hoped everyone came out of this all right. As I wandered down the dimly light hallway and passed rows of doors, I made sure to sniff the air around each one, making sure there were no recent scents. Time was of the essence.<p>

I reached the end of the corridor that split off to the left and to the right. I paused and glanced down each, sweat-dropping when I saw a large door to the left with a big sign saying, "TRAINING ROOM".

'_I wonder…_' I hummed, before making up my mind to check that door. As I reached it, the scent of someone inside hit me like a freight train, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to prickle. '_Found you._'

I stepped towards the door and it swung open without me needing to touch it, causing me to hesitate cautiously as I peered through into the room. Laid before me was a room that looked like it was used for the purpose of training – as the name suggested. It was a wide-open space, and lining the walls was a myriad of different weapons. My eyes scanned over the wide range, noting the quality of them with a slight hint of approval. The people who used these weapons knew what they were doing.

"You came," a soft voice sighed and my eyes landed on a woman who was sitting directly in the center of the room, her legs crossed and her arms held in a meditating position. She didn't open her eyes as she sat there, giving me a moment to assess her. She had short blue hair, and a dark black kimono that was patterned with little white bird shapes and only reached up to her thighs, leaving her legs exposed. The air around her was calm and tranquil, yet it had a dangerous feeling, like a predator that waits for its meal to stumble over it. "I'll admit, you're not what I expected. Trust them to send a dog to deal with me just because I'm one of the weakest members…"

'_I never am what expect_,' I admitted, calmly strolling into the room, my nails clicking against the stone.

Her eyes slowly flickered open, showing off their brown coloring. "They sent you to fetch the key from me?"

'_I'm taking this too lightly, so she's not taking me seriously,_' I noted, closing my eyes. I took a soft breath of air in, calming my mind to match the mood of the room. Once my mind was calm, I focused my thoughts on my reason for being here: to save Robin. I strengthened my resolve, relaxing the muscles of my body into a battle ready position, before opening my eyes again.

She must have felt the shift in the air because she rose neatly off the ground, standing up straight. "Not just a dog, it would seem. It makes sense, I suppose. I am Syndria, a member of CP9. You are part of the Straw Hats. Your objective: to obtain the key. My objective: the project the key and eliminate the Straw Hat pirates. Our paths clash, and a fight is imminent."

'_It is,_' I agreed, keeping my temper as level as I could. My opponent was an interesting one for sure. Calm and collect. That's what she was.

Two objects slipped out of her long sleeves, landing in her hands. She spread the two fans out, lifting one up to cover the bottom half of her face. I watched on silently, making a note of her odd weapon choice.

"Ready yourself," she said moments before she spun in a neat circle, sweeping her fan out in an arc, creating a wave that came flying towards me.

'_Fast_,' I gasped, ducking under the attack as it hit the wall, leaving a large slice.

"You dodged it. I see. Not many humans, let alone dogs, would have been able to follow the speed of that attack. I am going to have to take you seriously. No point wasting my time. I'm going to go at full power from this point onwards."

'_Exactly what I want. Let's do this,_' I purred mentally, my blood pounding through my body at the thought of a proper fight. I hadn't had to chance to fight properly for a while.

"Soru*." She disappeared from my sight and I couldn't track her. I froze, listening carefully for any sign of her. At last I heard a fluttered of clothes directly behind me, but as I went to turn around, I felt a sharp blade of wind slap into me, lifting my paws off the ground.

'_Dammit! I can't keep track of her!_' I swore as I tried to flip around in the air.

"Saikuron.*" She readied both of her fans before spinning into a twirl like before, but this time she used both fans and didn't stop, sending one wave after the other. Because I was in mid air, I couldn't move fast enough to dodge the attack, so I braced myself. One after the other the slices hit my body, cutting neatly away at the flesh, opening it so that my blood ran. I gritted my teeth together, making sure none of the attacks connected with any vital spots until.

"I'll finish it with this attack!" she declared, shifting her fans so that they were both held in one hand, overlapping each other. This time when she flicked them, an attack thrice the size of the others shot out, slamming into my shoulder with enough force to send me flying across the room and into the walls. My back connected with the wall, knocking a few training polls off of their racks as I clattered to the ground with them. "It's done."

'_Done?_' I snickered mentally as I lifted my battered body back to my paws. I made note of the cuts that now littered my body, and the one large slice on my shoulder. They tingled, but they were nothing. I'd had worse. '_That's your full power, and you think it's enough to keep me down? You're crazy, miss. You'll have to kill me to stop me. And guess what? It's my turn now!_'

"…You shouldn't be able to get up after that attack as my full strength!" she gasped, anger flashing across her face. "An ordinary dog you are not, for sure."

'_My turn_,' I purr mentally, letting a smirk break over my face. I saw Syndria's eyes widen as I lunged forward, kicking my speed almost up to top gear without hesitation.

"Geppo*," she cried, jumping up into the air, presuming I couldn't get her when she was air born.

'_Ha, gotcha. You and the rest of CP9 used such repetitive attacks that you're so easy to read!_' I'd planned it all out and lined it up, relying on the hope that she'd do exactly what she did. Behind her was the wall, and I didn't slow down the slightest, aiming for the wall. I jumped up, my paws slapping against it, making sure not to knock any of the displays off. I twisted my body in midair, curling into a spinning ball of fur, using the speed to build up the power of my attack. She didn't have time to use Geppo again before I slammed into her back, causing her to emit a sound of pain. The force of the blow sent her flying across the room this time as I landed neatly back on my paws, my head held proudly.

Syndria hit the wall and bounced off, landing on her hands and knees, coughing roughly, blood dribbling down her chin. "Wh… What are you?" she panted.

'_I wish I knew._' I waited patiently as she stood back up, slowly, showing signs that my last attack did a number on her. She had speed, but she didn't have stamina or strength, that was for sure. Her body was weak and easy to wound. No wonder she was one of the weaker CP9. She was built for stealthy assassinations, where speed and silence mattered more than force or strength.

"If long range won't work, I'll have to fight you short range…" she grumbled, lifting her fans into a defensive position. "The edges of these fans are as sharp as any blade. They'll cut you like a scalpel if they touch you. Soru."

'_Follow her!_' I snapped at myself, putting all my attention into following her fast movements. '_I see her! There!_' I ducked under a swipe of a fan as she appeared next to me, and I jumped forward, nailing the top of my head into her stomach before she had a chance to attack with the other one. She skidded back, coughing as one of her arms wrapped around her stomach.

"I WON'T LET A DOG GET THE BETTER OF ME!" she screamed all of a sudden, loosing her cool and calm attitude. With cry, she came at me again, swiping each of her fans in succession as I was forced to duck, dodge and weave to avoid them. I flinched when sliced past my muzzle, opening up a deep cut in the flesh. "DIE!"

'_Losing your cool will only make you lose_,' I hissed, slipping under another attack before slamming my head into her stomach again.

"Tekkai.*" she said, right before my head made contact with her. If I didn't have such a tough head, it probably would have split open on her hardened body. "Shigan Tessen!*" I didn't have time to dodge as her two fans snapped closed and came flying towards either side of my body. They acted like blades, driving deep into the flesh of my side, causing pain to flood my body. I let out a loud yelp as she used the fans embedded in my side to lift me off the ground and fling me across the room and into the wall again.

I hit the hard surface, bouncing off and hitting the ground roughly. I laid there for a few seconds, panting roughly as I tried to get my lungs working properly again. The two holes in my sides weren't helping. I looked across the room at Syndria, who was also breathing heavily, blood dripping off of her fans.

Our fight was interrupted by the loud voice that yelled through a den den mushi, and Syndria hesitated before pulling it out of the sleeve of her kimono.

"HEY! HEY! DAMMIT! I SCREWED UP!" Weirdo's voice screamed over the den den mushi. "This is the baby den den mushi! What have I done? I was so careless! How could I have pressed the golden den den mushi? Worst of all, I triggered the Buster Call!"

'_…NO WAY,_' I gasped in horror.

"Idiot," she hissed, clenching her fist. "He's broadcasting this across all the whole island."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! CANCEL IT IMMEDIATELY!" Robin's voice came over the den den mushi. "It'll have serious consequence!"

"What? Cancel it?" he responded. "Hey, look who you're talking to! Bring on the Buster Call. What's wrong with it? That's right. It's okay. I'm the chief of Cipher Pol Number 9. In order to deliver you to the government without fail, I triggered the Buster Call. Haha… That's a good cause, isn't it? So in case anything does happen here, at least we will certainly slaughter all the pirates!"

"How foolish!" Robin snapped. "I've told you! It won't end just there! That attack doesn't involve human emotion. It'll burn everything on Enies Lobby! Buildings and humans! Even the island itself! It'll sacrifice everything to carry out the goal: a diabolical focus-fire! That is the Buster Call! You're like that because you don't know what happened 20 years ago in Ohara!"

"That's fine!" Spandam replied. "That just means this is such and important case for the government! Now that, that idiot Cutty Flam has burned Pluton's Blueprints, your existence is the only for us to get the ancient weapon. Military strength that will overrun an era dependent upon it… Even if several thousands of soldiers die in the process of burying the idiots who are trying to take you away, we can simply say that it's an unavoidable sacrifice for the glorious future! Most of all, my promotion depends on this too!"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK HUMAN LIVES ARE!" Robin screamed.

"Don't forget CP9 is the governments secret intelligence organization. If we need 100 deaths in order to save 1000 lives, then we'll kill those 100 people on the spot without hesitation. For true justice, some sacrifice is needed. Either way, those useless soldiers are better off dead! They couldn't even stop the intruding pirates! Idiot bastards!"

"That baby den den much is off hook," Robin pointed out all of a sudden.

"EH! SHIT! EVERYONE HEARD THE CONVERSATION JUST NOW!" he panicked. "B-B-By the way, this is Straw Hat Luffy!"

'_HE'S A TERRIBLE LIAR!_'

"Everyone please leave the island!" Robin begged. "Buster Call is aimed at Enies Lobby! If you stay on the island, you won't survive!"

"Don't say unnecessary things!" The sound from the den den mushi cut off, leaving the room in a state of silence of Syndria and I processed the information.

"That idiot… I don't plan to die for him. I'd better hurry up and beat you so I can get to a safe spot," she mumbled under her breathe.

'_Come on Mamori! Robin is waiting for you! Finish it already! Stop wasting time! Everyone is in trouble with the Buster call on its way!_' I spat at myself in self-disgust, heaving myself back up yet again. I coughed roughly, my sides burning. '_Dammit. Think about Robin. She's waiting for you. Think about your friends. They're all in trouble! FINISH THIS_.'

The sensation of pins and needles overtook my body again, my hair standing on end as I took a step towards the CP9 member. My blood felt like it was burning, the pins and needles feeling moving to my feet and head again, just like last time. I breathed heavily, feeling slightly dizzy from the foreign feeling.

'_I will win this,_' I spat, jumping forward and dashing across the room at speeds that would normally have been impossible for me.

Syndria's eyes widen and she opened her mouth, starting to say, "Tekk-", but I cut her off before she could finish it, concentrating the odd sensation into the top of my head as I jumped forward, slamming the top of my head into her chest. Cracks echoed in my ears, and she was sent flying back across the room. This time, when she hit the wall, she kept going straight through it and into the next room, rubble flying in the air.

I landed on my paws, panting heavily as I stared through to the other room, silence burning my ears. My elation fell when I heard the sound or faint movement from the other room, and I slipped into a defensive position as a battered Syndria stumbled back into the room. She had blood dropping from her chin, her breathing heavy and labored. She paused at the hole made in the wall, putting her hand out against it to hold herself up. With her other hand she reached into her kimono, pulling out a key and holding it up.

'_There it is!_' I tensed up, my eyes narrowing into slits.

"It's yours. I'll admit defeat. I'm not risking my life for an idiot like that," she started to laugh, but ended up coughing. "Who'd have ever thought I'd be beaten by none other than a dog. It's all yours." She threw the key across the room, and I caught it between my teeth, watching as she swayed before dropping to the ground in a faint.

I didn't waste any time in spinning around and sprinting out of the room. I'd gotten the key! Now I needed to meet up with the others and track down Robin before the Buster Call took down this island. It didn't pass unnoticed by me that I'd been getting stronger. That odd power that I'd gotten… I have basically no control over it, but it was strong as hell. What was it?

* * *

><p>"MAMORI!" Nami screamed and I skidded to a stop, glancing down a hallway at Nami and Franky.<p>

'_There you are!_' I barked, trotting straight up to her. She looked a little roughed up, but not too bad. Franky looked to be about the same, but I shot him a glare before turning my attention back to Nami.

"Have you got a key?" she panted, bending over and putting her hands on her knees.

'_Here_,' I reached forward, offering the key that was in my mouth. She held out one of her hands I dropped it straight in.

"That dog got a key?" Franky asked, skeptical.

'_Shove it._'

"Of course. Number six, huh? Good work." She slipped it into her pocket. "But we have bigger issues to worry about right now–"

'_Yeah, that damn Buster Call is going to be a pain in our a–_'

"Chopper is in trouble!"

'_What!'_ I tensed up, staring at her as I waited for her to answer.

"I don't know how, but he's turned into a monster! He attacked me, and didn't recognize me! We need to help him! We have a plan, but we need your help."

* * *

><p>'<em>CHOPPER!<em>' I cried out when I laid eyes on him. The term "monster" was correct. He was a huge shaggy beast, but there was no mistaking that it was Chopper. He was in a large open room with Zoro, Usopp, Kaku, who for some reason was a giraffe, and a big wolf guy.

"Are you ready?" Franky asked, and I nodded my head, charging into the room without a second thought. I dash straight past Zoro and Usopp who looked confused at my sudden appearance.

"MAMORI? WATCH OUT, CHOPPER IS –"

I launched myself at Chopper, putting as much force into my back legs as I could so that I went flying high when I pushed off the ground. I landed on Chopper's hairy shoulder, and he let out an eerie cry, slowly lifting up his hand, obviously about to swipe me off.

"GET OUTTA THE WAY, GUYS!" Franky yelled, slipping into position to fire from his hand.

"FRANKY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! HE'S OUR–" Zoro started to yell.

"I KNOW! JUST SHUT UP!" Franky snapped back.

"Buoooooh!" Chopper called.

'_Chopper_,' I whimpered in worry, my ears dropping back against my head.

"I don't see any other way to take care of this. Devil fruit users have one weakness. I'll push him down to the ocean! I'll adjust the power, so bear with it! Dog, hold on!" I barked in reply. "Coup de Vent!*"

A blast of air shot out of Franky's hand, slamming into Chopper's chest. The force of the blast pushed Chopper's large form back through the wall and into the air. I snagged a long piece of his fur in my mouth, hanging on as I sent flying with Chopper.

"Buoooooh!" The wind whipped around us as we fell towards the water, and I saw Franky diving after us before we impacted with the water, knocking the wind out of me. I refused to let go of Chopper's fur as he shrank back to his normal size in the water, my teeth clamp around his shoulder. As soon as he was back to normal size, I noticed how strong the current of the water was, and how I was being pulled towards the waterfall. I tried to swim, dragging Chopper with me, but the current was too strong for me to swim whilst I was trying to save Chopper. We'd planned for that though. My job was only to keep Chopper from sinking.

Franky's hand clamped over the back of my scruff as he swum back up to the surface, dragging both Chopper and I with him. I kicked my legs, helping him as we broke from the water, our heads above the surface.

"Don't let go of the deer!" Franky yelled over the sound of the water as he swum over to the closest land in sight.

'_Like hell I ever would, you bastard!_' I snarled.

After a short struggle with the water, Franky threw Chopper and I onto the stone platform at the edge of the water, and I flopped against the ground like a wet rag. I quickly stumbled back up to my paws, laying Chopper out as I checked him over, flittering around in worry. Franky climbed back onto land as well.

"He's back to normal. Doesn't look as if he is dead," Franky commented. "And even you guys didn't know how to deal with him…" He turned his attention to Chopper. "Whatever, you did take out one of the CP9. Even if you did hurt me, I'll forgive you for the sake of your nakama who protected you even if you were on a rampage in that form."

'_He's taken in too much water_,' I mumbled, ignoring Franky. I pressed my front paws against his stomach, applying pressure so that he was forced to spit out the water he'd swallowed.

"We should hurry… But… Wait… Even if we want to hurry, how do we get to the Gate of Justice?" Franky questioned.

'_Like I know_,' I snapped, bearing my teeth in Franky's direction. '_We have to hurry and get these keys to Robin though_.'

"What's your issue, dog?" Franky demanded.

'_I don't care if you're helping us now, or if you helped us save Chopper, you hurt Usopp. I won't forgive you for that just yet, bastard._' I turned my attention back to Chopper, making sure he was breathing.

"HEEEEY! FRANKY!" a childish voice called out, and I looked over to a stack of crates to see Chimney and the rabbit sitting on them, waving to us.

'_YEAH, YEAH!_'

"Brats!" Franky said, surprised as he wandered over to them. I stayed with Chopper.

"We know how to get to the Gate of Justice! Granny is here too!"

"What! You know how?" Franky gaped.

"Eh hee hee, we know!" she laughed. "We're here to guide you."

"Tell me, quick! And I'll tell you and Granny Kokoro what you need to do."

* * *

><p>"Will we make it?" Franky panted as we ran full speed through the tunnel under the sea that Chimney had lead us too. We'd left Chopper with the kid, the rabbit, and the drunkard. We had to get to the Gate of Justice and give the keys to Robin before it was too late.<p>

'_We have to!_' I barked back, running ahead of him with my tail streaming behind me.

"I just hope we can release Robin with either the number 3, 4, or 6 key!" he said. "Either way, we have to stop them at any cost!"

'_No shit, Sherlock! Stop running you mouth so much, and move your legs faster! Time is of the essence!_'

I was probably lucky that he couldn't hear what I said to him.

* * *

><p>"I see something ahead!" Franky declared as a light appeared at the end of the tunnel we were running through.<p>

'_I see it too_,' I agreed. '_It looks like…_'

"Is it an exit?"

The second we exited the tunnel, something impact in the wall next us, exploding in a shower of rubble. Franky and I were forced to stop and shield ourselves, as the dust settled. None other than my idiot captain, Luffy, popped out, crouching in a defensive position.

"Straw Hat!"

'_LUFFY!_'

"Franky! What did you come here for, bastard!" Luffy snapped, ignoring me.

"Quit hating me already! I'm on you side now! Give it up!" Franky yelled back before glancing at the man standing at the other end of the room we'd entered. "Lucci, huh? Are you having a hard time beating him? Where is Robin? We brought three keys! Do you need a hand or two?"

"No! Rather, please, go stop Robin!" Luffy replied. "You can go to the Gate of Justice from the door behind the pigeon guy! They took Robin already! I'll take care of him. You two need to help Robin."

"Just leave it to me and this dog, bastard!" Franky replied.

'_Don't lose, Luffy_,' I growled, narrowing my eyes at Lucci. Luffy pulled back his fist, charging at Lucci as he threw it forward.

"Shigan 'Oren'*," Lucci called, dodging the attack as he thrust his finger into Luffy over and over again, so fast that it was almost a blur. When he stopped, Luffy when flying across the room and into the wall again.

"STRAW HAT!"

'_LUFFY!_'

"No, no, my mission is to go through that door! You too, dog!" Franky yelled, running towards the exit. I started to run after him, only to stumble to a stop.

"It's no use," Lucci said, appearing before him.

"Strong Hammer!" Franky threw a powerful punch straight into Lucci's chest.

"Tekkai*." Lucci didn't even flinch as it made contact.

"What the… He didn't budge an inch! I'm sure I could blow that "Chapapa" away all right…" Franky grumbled.

"I see, you came here after defeating Fukurou. But sorry, my Doriki* is five times his." Lucci's fist shot out, landing a soil blow on Franky's stomach, causing him to hunch over, blood dribbling out of his mouth. "Excellent job on defeating Fukurou. You are indeed of superhuman level. However… Die."

'_Watch out!_' I was about to jump forward and push Franky out of the way when a voice caused me to stop.

"GOMU NO GOMU JET PISTOL!" Luffy yelled, throwing his fist at Lucci who was sent flying across the room from the hit. He crashed into some crates, shattering them.

"WHAT DID YOU!" Franky gaped, shock written all over his face. I was shocked as well. Smoke was rising off of Luffy's body for no reason, and his skin had a light glow to it. "What is this smoke?"

'_Luffy_?' I gasped in confusion.

"Gear Second! It won't last long, but I'll stop him, so go first, Franky, Mamori! Robin's waiting."

"Alright Straw Hat! I don't know what's going on, but finish him up with that!" Franky called, as we both made another run for the door.

"Didn't I say… I won't let you do that," and eerie voice said, as Lucci stood back up in his leopard form. In response to seeing his feline form, I growled loudly, my eyes narrowing his direction.

"GWAAH! YOU'RE A DEVIL FRUIT USER TOO!" Franky called.

"Let me finish you off first Franky. Then that dog." Lucci jumped towards us at incredible speed, but Luffy appeared in front of us, just as fast, smoke still rising from his body.

"Jet Whip*!" He kicked Lucci straight across the face, sending him flying back again. He quickly landed and stared Luffy down.

"Straw Hat Luffy. Don't tell me you forgot the fact that I beat you in one attack in this form last time?" Lucci asked.

"Ah… That? I healed after I ate meat," Luffy answered.

"Soru. Shigan." Lucci zapped over to Luffy, thrusting his clawed finger at my captain. Luffy quickly jumped out of the way, readying his next attack.

"Gomu Gomu no…"

"Tekkai."

"Jet Bazooka*!" The blow with both of Luffy's fists sent Lucci flying once again.

I jumped forward, snapping my jaws at Franky's heels to get him to hurry up. While Lucci was down, we needed to go. He quickly caught on and ran ahead of me, slamming the doors open as we ran out.

"FRANKY! MAMORI! I'LL LEAVE ROBIN TO YOU!" Luffy yelled.

"SUPER! LEAVE IT TO ME!"

'_I'LL BRING ROBIN BACK FOR SURE, CAPTAIN! JUST… DON'T DIE!_'

* * *

><p>"DON'T FALL BEHIND, DOG!" Franky yelled, jumping two steps at a time. He had longer legs, so he found it easier to get up the stairs than me.<p>

'_SHOVE IT UP YO–_'

A step under Franky's foot made an odd clicking sound and looks of shock crossed both of faces at the area around us exploded in a ball of fire, sending Franky flying through the wall and into the water below. The flames seared my fur, but I jumped back in time, tumbling down the stairs to escape most of the blast.

'_FRANKY!_' I snarled, quickly thrusting my feet under me so I could jump back to my feet. '_No time! Dammit!'_ I ran up the stairs again, jumping over the rubble from the blast and continued up the steps, running as fast I physically able.

It wasn't long before I found the exit, and I burst out into the sunlight, the brightness clouding my vision for a few moments, but I didn't stop running. As soon as my vision cleared, I saw figures on the other side of the bridge. There was a bunch of marines lining steps down to a boat. At the top of the stairs was Spandam, dragging Robin along behind him by a rope that was tied around her.

'_ROBIN! I SEE YOU!_' I lifted up my head and howled as I ran across the bridge straight for them.

"Dog!" Robin gasped, tears streaming down her face as she lifted up her head to stare at me.

"DAMMIT! SOMEONE SHOT THE DOG! NOW!" Spandam ordered.

"YES SIR!" Several responded, running up the stairs. They stood at the top of the steps, aiming their guns at me as I ran. Like hell I was going to get taken down by a bunch of guns when I was so close to Robin. She was ours – they couldn't have her!

"FIR–" Spandam's order was cut off as a bullet of fire hit him, exploding and sending him flying back down the stairs. Robin sat up, as the marines started yelling.

'_Usopp_.' I grinned, glancing at the Tower of Justice behind me.

"What! WHO IS IT!"

"NO ONE ELSE IS ON THE BRIDGE, JUST THE DOG!"

"THERE'S NO WAY ANYONE COULD BE HERE. HE MUST BE HIDING SOMEWHERE!"

"SEARCH FOR HIM!"

While they were panicking I kept running, dashing straight past a shocked Robin as I launched myself into the firing squad. Shit hit the roof as they tried to me shoot me while I was jumping around between their legs, taking them down one by one. Friendly fire kept hitting the marines as they tried to stop me. I landed kicks, headbutts, and bites all around as they yelled and panicked.

"HOLD FIRE! HOLD FIRE, DAMMIT! KILL THE DAMN DOG!" a marine yelled from below the stairs, only for a bullet to explode in his face too. One after another, bullets whistled through the air, taking down marine after marine.

I took the last marine down on my level with a swift kick in his kidney, causing him to keel over and I paused, looking at Robin. Our eyes met and I smiled tartly, dipping my head in greeting before spinning on my paws and bounding down the stairs where the rest of the marines were getting taken out.

"HEEEY! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING!" Spandam yelled, getting back to his feet.

"BUT CHIEF, SIR, WE CANNOT IDENTIFY THE ENEMY AND THIS DOG IS NOT NORMAL! WE CAN'T KILL IT!"

A let out a booming growl, jumping down the last few meters of stairs and landing directly on top of a marine, slamming his face into the ground.

"AH… THERE! CHIEF, SIR, OVER THERE!"

"WHAT! WHERE?"

"ON THE TOP OF THE JUDICIAL TOWER! HE MUST BE WITH THE DOG!"

"YOU SAID JUDICIAL TOWER! WHAT CAN SOMEONE DO FROM THET PLACE."

"HOW IS HE STILL HITTING US SO ACCURATELY! WHO IS THAT! DAMN YOU!"

I got a piece of flesh between my jaws, dragging a marine down and slamming the top of my head into his chin before bouncing off for the next one while ducking under the swing of a sword. I caught the wrist of the sword user in my jaws, spinning around and landing a kick on his forehead.

"GET AWAY FROM THE DOG!"

"STAY OUT OF ITS ROAD AND TRY SHOOTING IT!"

"KILL IT ALREADY!"

With some room to finally breathe, I zipped past several marines, popping up right before Spandam. A wicked look crossed my face, and I saw his eye widen in shock and horror at how close I was to him. He didn't even have a chance to escape me, and he knew it. He was the mouse and I was the cat.

'_This is for Robin!_' I yelled, and jumped forward with jaws open. I snapped them closed in an awkward place, but it hardly crossed my mind with the sudden rage that washed through me. I wanted him to suffer and hurt. For all he had done, I wanted him to feel the worst pain he could possibly. I wanted to have him bawling like a baby, and begging me to stop.

"AHHHH!" he screamed a high pitch scream, the sound echoing through the air as my teeth dug into his crotch, drawing blood.

"CHIEF!"

"THE DOG IS…"

"IT HURTS JUST WATCHING!"

I clenched down harder and the pitch of the scream kicked up another notch, tears pouring out of his eyes. "_AHHHHHHHHHHH!_"

"THE DOG IS RABID! STAY AWAY FROM IT!"

"IT'S GOING TO CASTRATE THE CHIEF!"

'_I'LL SHOW YOU RABID, YOU BASTARDS! YOU'RE ALL NEXT!_' I crackled mentally, a sense of sadistic pleasure washing over me as Spandam dropped to his knees, with me still holding on.

"AHHH! STOP! I'M BEGGIN–" I bit down harder and heard something crunch. "**_AHHHHH!_**"

"LET HIM GO!" on of the marines yelled, swinging a sword at me, only to shot down by Usopp before he could so much as touch me.

"NICO ROBIN IS RUNNING AWAY!" a marine yelled all of a sudden.

"DON'T LET HER GET AWAY, IDIOTS! YOU CAN SHOOT HER! SHOOT HER TO DEATH, BUT DON'T KILL HER!" a bunch of marines ran up the stairs after her, aiming their guns at her.

"WAH?"

'_Shit, Robin!_' I dropped my hold on Spandam, spinning around and kicking out with both of my feet, nailing him in the crotch. He let out a squeak and then curled up in a convulsing ball.

"FIRE!"

'_ROBIN!_'

The bullets that were fired by the marines made an odd sound as they hit Franky, bouncing straight off of his body. He'd managed to get out the water, it would seem. Good.

"You…" Robin panted, pausing.

"I'm tough as steel," Franky said. "There are no more mines, right Spanda?" The shivering weirdo managed to get on his hands and knees, one of his hands clutching at his crotch. He was as pale as a ghost, agony written across his face. "What the hell… What happened to you?"

"THAT DOG TRIED TO CASTRATE HIM! IT'S RABID!" one of the marines yelled, stepping right away from me as I trotted straight past them and over to Franky and Robin.

"It…" Franky sent me a shocked look. "What the hell is wrong with that thing! I knew there was something wrong with it, but… I'm watching you! Stay away from me!"

He took a step away from me as I paraded right past him, head held high and my tail swaying happily. I trotted straight up to Robin, rubbing the top of my head against her leg, a soft whining sound coming out of my chest. I felt a teardrop hit the top of my head, and I just smiled softly, leaning against her.

"Franky, Franky, this is Sogeking."

"Hmm?" Franky mumbled, pulling a den den mushi out of his shirt. "This den den mushi's supposed to belong to…"

"I got it from Nami!" Usopp replied. "Anyway, you should see a red cloth bundle around there."

"Oh, yeah, here," he confirmed, noticing it not far from where he was standing.

"There are two keys in it. With the ones you have, it should complete the whole set."

"ALL OF THE KEYS?" Spandam squealed in shock, and I sniggered at how high pitch his voice still was.

* * *

><p><strong>Hōbantai<strong> - The Watchdog Unit of the Law

**Enbima Yonezu Oni Giri** - Literally "Charm Demon Sleepless Night Demon Slash". (That's a mouthful...) Glad that got translated into "Charming Demon Sleepless Night Oni Giri" in the Viz Manga. The pun here is that since "onigiri" means "rice ball" and when "Ebi Mayonēzu" gets added, it means "shrimp mayonnaise rice ball".

**Hissatsu Firebird Star** - "Certain Kill Firebird Star". Also called "Hi no Tori Boshi" which directly translates into "Firebird Star".

**Soru** - Literally meaning "Shave" and is also translated as "Shave". I went over this in Chapter 52. Look there for some fun information.

**Saikuron** - Cyclone

**Geppo** - Literally meaning "Moon Step" and translated as "Moon Walk". See Chapter 52 for more information.

**Shigan** - Literally "Finger Gun" but translated as "Finger Pistol". See Chapter 52 for more information.

**Tessen** - War fan

**Coup de Vent** - In French it literally means "Wind Blow". However, the Kanji means "Wind Cannon". Bilingual bonus at it's finest.

**Shigan "Oren"** - Literally "Finger Gun: 'Yellow Lotus'". In the anime this was used to kill the captain of a crew who raided a kingdom 15 years ago although it was not named "Oren" at the time. In One Piece: Unlimited Adventure (dubbed by FUNimation) this is called "Shigan: Yellow Lotus". In the FUNimation dub and Viz Manga it's called "Finger Pistol Yellow Lotus".

**Strong Hammer** - Uh... Not much to translate here...

**Tekkai** - Literally meaning "Iron Mass" and translated as "Iron Body". See Chapter 52 for more information.

**Doriki** - In the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub, this is translated as... "Power Level". Basically this is the physical power of someone in proportion to the Rokushiki skills. Fukuro can measure this using his "te-awase" or "Match". Apparently a Common Armed Soldier has an average of 10 Doriki and according to Spandam, a Doriki of 500 or more is superhuman. Lucci has a Doriki of 4000, Kaku has 2200, Jabra has 2180, Blueno has 820, Kumadori has 810, Fukuro has 800, Kalifa has 630, and Spandam has a measly 9. Not even the level of the average Marine soldier...

**Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol** - Literally "Rubber Rubber Jet Pistol". It looks like Luffy truly shoots his opponent, but the result is more akin to a small hand-held cannon that's strong enough to propel the target several meters away. Called "Gum-Gum Jet Pistol" in the FUNimation dub and the Viz Manga.

**Gomu Gomu no Jet Whip** - Literally "Rubber Rubber Jet Whip". Called "Gum-Gum Jet Whip" in the FUNimation dub and Viz Manga.

**Gomu Gomu no Jet Bazooka** - Literally "Rubber Rubber Jet Bazooka". Strong enough to break Blueno's strongest Tekkai. Called "Gum-Gum Jet Bazooka" in the FUNimation dub and Viz manga.

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><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	56. Buster Call

**Sorry for the wait, guys! Life's been hectic as usual. Broken charger cords, looking for a job, you know, the usual? Although, the other day I found out that I got into Animal Science at University, which I'll be attending in 2015! That's pretty exciting. And I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. I heard it's really cold in America and England right now, so keep warm guys. It's really hot here in Australia, so my fellow Australians should try and keep cool as much as possible.**

**Enjoy the chapter, and thank you to everyone who reviewed. **

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><p>"Number 1… Number 3… Number 4… No!" he threw the keys on the ground on after the other as he tried them on Robin's cuffs. "Number 5… THEY'RE OFF!"<p>

"NO WAY! IT'S THE REAL KEY!" Spandam shrieked.

'_Finally… We did!_' I gasped.

Robin lifted up her hands, staring at them now she was free of the cuffs and then she swayed and almost fainted, but Franky caught her just in time.

'_ROBIN!_'

"Hey, hey! Pull yourself together," Franky said and Robin slowly straightened herself up again.

"You defeated all the members of CP9 in the Tower of Justice!" Spandam yelled. "No, impossible! I bet you somehow stole the keys and ran! Dammit!"

I turned around, taking a step towards Spandam with my teeth showing. He paled and took two steps back.

"This is Franky," he said into the den den mushi. "I unlocked Robin Nico's handcuffs."

"ALL RIGHT!" Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp cheered.

"Long-nose, thank you," Robin said.

"If you're to express your gratitude, do it later, to everyone who worked hard to collect the keys," Usopp replied. "You are truly Luffy and the others' nakama. Do whatever you want!"

"…Yes." She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Seis Fluer… Slap." Hands sprung out of Spandam's chest and began to slap him over and over again, causing my grin to widen. "I won't hold back."

"Okay! Guys, come over here, quick!" Franky instructed. "I'll prepare the escape."

"Chief, Sir!" the marines yelled as he fell back on the ground, face bruised and one hand still clutching his crotch.

"No! The criminal's seastone handcuffs are off!"

"Catch her again!"

'_Don't even think about!_' I snarled menacingly, taking three steps forward with my teeth bared. That caused them to all hesitate and look amongst themselves.

"That dog…"

"What do we do about the dog…"

"I don't want to be castrated!"

Before anyone had a chance to do anything else, our attention was captured by the sound of a whistling bomb flying through the air and impacting with the fence in the water, creating a large explosion.

"It can't be!" Spandam gasped, getting back to his feet once more. "Bombardment from the warships!"

Another bomb hit the top of the Tower of Justice, blowing the top half completely off.

'_USOPP! ZORO! SANJI!_' I cried in worry.

"THE TOWER OF JUSTICE!" the marines yelled as the top slid off into the waterfall, disappearing over the edge.

"Franky, Robin, Mamori, we're safe here! We'll head over there now," Sanji said over the den den mushi.

"Oh, good," Robin sighed.

"Then we'll do something about this situation… Can I count on your fighting power?" Frank asked Robin.

"Of course," she agreed. I grinned, snapping my jaws in the direction of the marines and staring them down with a teasing look on my face.

"I don't think I even need to bother asking the dog…" Franky sweat-dropped.

_'OI! You'll be next on my list if you're not careful!'_

"Hurry, guys! Catch them before the bombardment gets serious!" Spandam ordered.

"YES, SIR!"

"Do you see the convoy on the other side of the bridge?" Franky asked. "Don't you think that's the key to our escape?"

"I guess there's no other way than stealing the ship," Robin said.

"GO!" Spandam ordered, and the fun begun. The marines tried to fire at us, but Franky quickly used the guns in his wrists to fire at them, and Robin used her devil fruit powers to choke-out other marines. I ran forward and danced between them, snapping, biting and kicking whenever and wherever I could.

"Hurry! All you have to do is catch Nico Robin and get her on the convoy! Don't waste time. Warships are coming!" Spandam yelled.

"IT'S TOO LATE ALREADY!" a marine screamed and everyone looked to the horizon. I slammed another marine into the ground, pausing on his chest to look at what was going on, only to freeze as shivers ran down my spine. The ships were here. Through the smoke caused by the earlier bombs, the shadows of the boats were showing.

"I SEE SHADOWS!"

The marines weren't having any of it. They all dropped their weapons and starting running to their boat, not worrying about Robin, Franky, and I anymore.

"H-HEY! DON'T RUN! A FLEET OF WARSHIPS! BUSTER CALL WILL COMMENCE!"

"…N-no way," Robin gasped, falling to her knees. I quickly jumped off the marine and made my way protectively over to her. We could only stare silently as the ships started firing indiscriminately at Enies Lobby, creating havoc on the island. I hoped all of our friends had made it out in time.

"Triggering Buster Call!" A speaker projected from the boats as they sailed past the bridge. "Targeting the pirate Straw Hat Luffy and his gang. Approximate count: 60. However, under the private agreement with Admiral Aokiji, the criminal Robin Nico, who is on the Bridge of Hesitation, will be excluded from the targets! Other details are unimportant! Destroy the entire Judicial Island, Enies Lobby! All ships, take position!"

"There, look! Guys! Don't run! Those warships will bypass this bridge!" Spandam cried. "Wahaha! It's all because I'm here! Right, my dad said so, too!" he said. "Even if it was indiscriminate bombardment, it would avoid me!"

"The bridge the criminal Robin Nico is on will be temporarily excluded from the targets!" the voice came over the speaker again.

"There, look, guys!" Spandam insisted. "It's safe here! It's all because I am the chief of the CP9!"

"What a horrible scene…" Franky mumbled as they continued to fire at the island.

"I can't stop trembling!" Robin gasped, wrapping her arms around her shaking form. I quickly wrapped my body around her back, resting my head on her shoulder and whining softly.

I heard a commotion from the building where Luffy was fighting Lucci and the last thing I thought I'd see was a giant rubber fist breaking through the wall and sending Lucci flying across the sea and onto one of the war ship. As if that wasn't odd enough, he was quickly followed by Luffy in his balloon form, flying through the air at the war ship. The marines tried to shoot him, but the bullets just bounced right off as Luffy did something that made his foot enlarge. Luffy slammed his foot into the boat and smashed the front of it. What followed was hard for me to keep track off because of my bad eyesight at long distances, but there was scuffling between Lucci and Luffy that continued to destroy the ship.

"Did you see that, Cutty Flam?" Spandam laughed. "You guys are done for! No, you've been done for since the beginning!"

"Just shut up!" Franky replied.

"You still don't get it? The one fighting with Straw Hat, is Lucci! The strongest in the history of CP9! I don't know what happened to all the others, but he's really special! After he takes out Straw Hat, it'll be your turn, Cutty Flam!"

_'LUFFY WON'T LOOSE!_' I snarled.

Silence echoed around the area while Lucci and Luffy continued to fight, disappearing from sight on the ship every now and then, and popping back up as they were thrown into the air from each others' attacks. I kept myself curled around Robin, my jaw clenched tightly from the tension in the air.

'_LUFFY!_' I howled as the ship Luffy and Lucci were on exploded in a ball of flames. One of the marine ships had attacked their own ally just because Luffy was on the boat. I watched with wide, shocked eyes as the boat went up in flames and smoke.

"Hahaha! Hey! Did you see that!" Spandam laughed. "The Straw Hat who went berserk on the warship has been blown up into pieces! Haha, take that! Your captain is dead!"

"Hey, hey… They fired at the warship with fellow marines on it…" Franky mumbled.

"This is the power of the Buster Call I triggered!" Spandam boasted. "This is justice, Cutty Flam! Now, hand Nico Robin over to me! Then maybe I can pardon you for your crime! Besides, why do you have to protect that woman! You're not a pirate! Would you trust a dangerous woman with Ohara blood running in her veins over the World Government who protects you day and night? If you defy us, you'll end up like Tom and di–"

His speech was cut off as Franky launched his fist away from his body on a chain, smashing it into Spandam's face, throwing him back. I wasn't bothering with that, I was too busy staring at the place where Luffy and Lucci had been fighting before they got on the boat, and I was rewarded with movement, meaning they must have both been still alive and had made it there safely.

"His face can't possible swell any more than that!" a marine yelled.

Spandam quickly jumped back up to his feet, drawing a sword that strapped to his back.

"He drew the elephant sword, Funkfreed!"

'_Elephant sword?_'

"TAKE THIS!" Spandam yelled. "ELEPHANT CHOOOOOP!"

A giant elephant head popped out of the sword, a blade instead of a trunk as it extended straight for Robin. I quickly vaulted over Robin, placing my body in front of hers so that I would take the blow instead of her, but Franky stepped in front of both of us, catching the elephant by its tusks. The edge of the blade stopped mere millimeters away from the end of my nose.

"BASTARD!" Frank yelled. "You are truly a hopeless guy."

"He… stopped it…" Spandam gaped. "Funkfreed! You're an elephant, yet you're being controlled by him!"

Franky brought one of his arms up to the Funkfreed's forehead, his hand snapping back to reveal the gun in his wrist. "Turn your nose back to normal, Elephant, or I'll shoot you in the middle of your forehead."

"RAGE THERE AND SLASH HIM TO PIECES!" Spandam yelled, but the elephant turned his nose back to a trunk, and turned his whole body into that of a elephant, a scared look on his face.

"Okay, that's good. You're a good boy," Franky said. "Nico Robin, will the Straw Hats come here?"

"They all should be," she replied.

'_Of course they'll come,_' I growled, bearing my teeth at Franky again.

"I thought I told you that I've placed my bet on them, Spanda!" Franky yelled. "I've never thought that this day would come. If only I'd had the power that day. I wanted to get Tom back no matter what… Despite knowing Enies Lobby's unrelenting myth… Despite knowing the remarkable power of the World Government… The Straw Hats abandoned all of the common sense and marched ahead! Just for one of their nakama, they don't hesitate to make the entire world their enemy. It's such a refreshing feeling." Franky tightened his grip on Funkfreed, dragging the elephant along with him as he ran towards Spandam. "I've never forgotten Tom's death until today! Every time that official's idiot face crossed my mind, I always wished that I could crush him!"

"Hey, wait, idiot! Don't do that! No!"

"JUST LIKE THIS!" Franky yelled, using the trunk for leverage as he flipped the elephant over, slamming its massive body into Spandam's. The weirdo was crushed under the weight of the giant creature, and Franky let it go. "Thanks to them, my wish has come true! Weapon's Left!" He used the gun in his left wrist to start firing at the remaining marines.

'_Oi! Wait for me!_' I barked, jumping forward and charging into the melee again, my teeth bared.

"I've been dead once. If that Straw Hats can get out of here alive, I wouldn't mind sacrificing my life again! Surrender your ship! I'll make a way for them to escape!" Franky declared, still firing at the marines.

'_Sacrificing your life? Don't be a little shit, Franky!_' I snarled, head-butting a marine in his throat. '_Aint nobody got time for dying._'

"I'll help too! I think I'm fine now," Robin said, standing up. "It's different now from that time in Ohara. I have nothing to fear because I'm not alone anymore!"

'_Let's do it! Let's get us a ship, guys!_'

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><p>"Uhahaha!" Frank laughed, licking his lips as the last marines were thrown over the side of the ship. "Sorry marines. We'll use this ship for our escape!"<p>

'_Last one!_' I chirped, kicking his chin hard enough to send him flying over the railing. I landed neatly on the deck, trotting over to Franky who was standing on the front deck.

"Now, we're finally done with spring cleaning. This convoy ship is now our escape ship! Now all we need to do is wait for the Straw Hats!"

"DOOOON'T…" a voice called from under the sea, and Franky and I both ran over to the railing to see what was going on. "DIE!"

"AHHHH!" Franky screamed.

'_FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY!_' I shrieked at the sight that burst out of the ocean. It was a mermaid… Kokoro as a mermaid. Along with her, she was dragging a passed out Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, Chopper, Chimney, and rabbit. I fell off the railing from the shock, scrambling away from her as she threw my friends on the deck, landing on there herself.

"GRANNY KOKORO?" Franky yelled, his jaw almost touching the ground.

"No time," she laughed, transforming back into a form with two legs, but flippers on her feet. I tried not to stare and gape. "You might wanna help your these guys."

'_…AH SHIT!_' I swore, running over to the sprawled out bodies on the deck. Robin joined me.

Franky quickly did the same. "Hey, guys, get a grip! Hey!"

At the same time a fountain of water shot out of all their mouth, leaving them all there laying there, panting with mentally scarred looks on their faces.

"It must be a miracle!" Franky said. "I bet they experienced severe shock somewhere since they've all reached a state of apparent death, but they didn't swallow that much water."

'_SOMEWHERE? SOMEWHERE! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!_' I yelled.

"Ngagaga," Kokoro laughed. "Good for 'em. I wonder what caused their apparent death…"

"It was you," Franky said bluntly, putting his thumb up.

"It's you, right?" Kokoro said, turning to Robin as she started to pull her clothes back on. "The nakama that Pirate King brat came to rescue. I met you at the shift station. I remember you. I didn't imagine that you would cause something like this."

"Hurry up and get dressed, old hag!" Franky snapped.

"I laughed at his idea of becoming the Pirate King, but maybe it'll come true after all… Ngagaga!"

Usopp, Sanji and Zoro all sat up all of a sudden, coughing and spluttering.

"Is Nami alright?" Sanji coughed.

"You guys are really tough," Franky sweat-dropped.

"I'm glad you're alive," Kokoro said.

"GYAA! IT'S REAL!" Usopp yelled, his eyes popping out of his head at the half dressed old hag on the deck. "MERMAIDS DON'T EXIST!"

"The legend about dugongs being mistaken for mermaids was true, after all!" Zoro gasped, his eyes also popping out of his head.

"Idiot! She hasn't said she's a mermaid yet! Don't give up on your dream!" Sanji yelled at himself.

"I'm a Whitefish Mermaid," Kokoro confirmed.

"NOOO!"

"BUT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF MERMAIDS WITH LEGS!" Usopp gapped, his jaw dropping.

"Objection!" Sanji sobbed, slamming his fist against the deck. "Mermaids are… Like… Mermaids are… You know…"

"Mermaids' tail fins split into two when we reach the age of 30 and thus we're able to live a life on land," Kokoro explained. "We're a mystical tribe. You'll see for yourself if you reach Fishman island one day.

"Oh, I know!" Usopp gasped. "I heard that the tail of a 100 year old cat will split and the cat will turn into a monster!"

"Ah, you mean the Goblin cat?" Sanji asked.

'_Be nice! She saved your asses!_' I hissed, swishing my tail.

"WE'RE NOT THE SAME!" the hag snapped. "Why don't you express your gratitude a little!"

"Kokoro, thank you very much," they all said at the same time.

"Nagagaga, no worries!" she laughed.

I saw Sanji's head turn, his eyes landing on Robin for the first time. One of my eyebrows quirked, knowing what he was about to do would be funny. Sure enough, he started running dramatically towards her, his arms spread out.

"ROOOOOOBIN!" he cooed, jumping towards her. At the last second, Chopper and Nami tackled her, knocking her to the side, leaving Sanji to slam his head into the mast poll.

"ROBIN! I'M GLAD WE MADE IT! YOU'RE SAFE!" Nami cried, clinging to her.

"ROBIN!" Chopper sobbed, clinging to both Nami and Robin.

I couldn't help but let a smile slip on my face as I watched them.

"Yes, thanks to you," Robin replied.

"Whoa! Grandma! You're a mermaid!" Chimney asked. "I thought you were a little different because you have fins and scales and all…"

"You should've figured it out! You're her granddaughter!" Franky yelled.

'_Chopper!_' I gasped in worry when he flopped back down to the deck. I quickly skittered over to him, hovering in worry.

"Huh… I can't move…" he mumbled.

"Understandable," Zoro grunted. "I'll explain it all later."

'_Oi..._' I sent him a glare, uncertain of what he'd tell Chopper. If he upset Chopper, I'd nail him in the crotch with a headbutt.

I watched him silently as he jumped over the side of the boat and started to walk up the stairs towards the bridge. As soon as I realized what he was doing, I caught up and trotted at his heels. Now I knew the others were safe on the boat, all we needed to worry about was Luffy. He would come back.

"Zoro!" Usopp called, running after us as we stopped at the bridge, looking back as the island that was now aflame.

"Hey, look at that," Zoro said as Usopp stopped next to us. "Hard to believe that it's the island we were just at."

'_I hope the others got out…_' I grumbled as the marine warships continued to fire away at the island.

"What's this attack about? It turned into a blazing inferno!" Usopp pointed out.

"It seems that there was an order not to kill Nico Robin," Franky declared, walking up behind us. I let out a grunt on confirmation.

"So that's why the bridge hasn't been attacked?" Usopp asked.

"If they don't want to kill her, that means they're still planning to get her back, huh?" Zoro questioned.

"Once they've completely demolished Enies Lobby, they'll probably come to get Nico Robin in close combat," Franky theorized.

"Everyone's all worn out, but there are still many strong ones on the ships, right!" Usopp panicked. "Where's Luffy now!"

"I still see smoke of their battle coming from the top of the bridge's first prop. His opponent is without a doubt that Pigeon Guy, Rob Lucci," Franky said.

"They're close. Why don't we lend a hand?" Usopp asked.

"Don't even try," Zoro answered. "That pigeon guy is not an ordinary guy. It's a bad idea to get involved in their fight. We must keep our escape route open, even if the fleet of enemy warships comes at us, and wait for Luffy right here! That's what we should do! The storm is about to come."

"…Okay!" Usopp replied.

"Franky," Sanji called, walking up behind us. "Your nakama…"

"Idiot," Franky laughed. "They really have the Devil's luck! They'll get away all right!"

'_Now we wait for Luffy…_' I mumbled, siting down patiently next to Zoro, staring defiantly across the bridge to where Luffy was fighting.

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><p>"We're ready to sail out any time now!" Nami yelled out from the boat after a few minutes. "We can set out as soon as Luffy comes back!"<p>

"Yeah, but if we simply think about it, the number of warships out there is equal to the number of people we've got here," Sanji pointed out. "Even if we do sail out, it will be almost impossible to get out of here."

'_If I have to take on a warship or two by myself, I will_,' I snarled, showing my teeth in the ship's direction, my claws digging into the bridge.

"Reporting from the northeast side of the main gate," the voice came over the speakers of the boat. "Marines and government officials in Enies Lobby have been accommodated. Also, we've confirmed that approximately 50 pirates, including some giants are at the main gate."

"That's… That's Zambai and the others! See! They got off the island alright!" Franky laughed. "I'm not worried about them. They will never die no matter how many times you kill them. Bastards, gahaha!"

"We have completed the obliteration mission," the voice continued, "by means of fire. Death is confirmed for all of them. As it stands, it is impossible to have any survivors left on the island. The number of survivors on Enies Lobby main island is… Zero.

'_I-impossible…_' I gasped, looking at Franky who had a look of disbelief on his face.

"Reporting from the number 2 warship," a new voice came across. "The courthouse and the Tower of Justice located on the southeast of the island, as well as the underground passage that leads to the bridge, have been demolished. The only target left is the Bridge of Hesitation."

"Franky…" Usopp said.

"They…" Sanji hissed.

"The shipwrights of Galley-La too?" Zoro asked.

"Oimo… Kaashii…" Usopp whispered.

Franky took a deep breath before yelling, "HURRY UP, STRAW HAT! YOUR NAKAMA ARE WAITING FOR YOU HERE! BASTARD, I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU END UP DEAD!"

"Franky…"

An explosion sounded from the area where Luffy was fighting, rubble flying in the air.

"Luffy!" Usopp gasped.

"Lucci is really strong!" Franky pointed out. "If the Straw Hat hadn't been holding him back in that place for a long time… Honestly, I don't know how many of us would've died."

"When I think about it…" Chopper called from the boat. "Sometimes it's as if Luffy knows whom he should fight from the very beginning."

"It's just that his animal instinct for these things is good," Nami replied. "And apparently his is better than yours."

"He… wouldn't die would be?" Usopp asked.

"Idiot," Zoro replied.

"Whaaat!"

A sudden explosion rocked the bridge as they took out the part of it that was connecting Luffy's fighting place to us.

"THEY DESTROYED HALF THE BRIDGE!" Sanji yelled.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!"

"THE WARSHIPS ARE COMING THIS WAY!" Nami screamed.

"All ships: form a battle formation around the bridge of hesitation," a voice called over the speaker. "We have confirmed that there are ten pirates, including Pirate Hunter Zoro and Nico Robin on the bridge and convoy."

"They're coming to get Robin again!" Zoro said, drawing his swords and getting into a battle-ready position. I jumped up to my paws as everyone else got ready for a fight.

"We won't let you do that!" Nami called.

'_ROBIN IS OURS!_' I snarled, my fur standing on end.

"They are probably the main force who defeated the CP9 in the Tower of Justice."

"Hey! Look over there!" Usopp said, drawing out attention to the tower where Luffy was fighting. The attack that broke the bridge cleared a large hole in the side of the building so that we could clearly see Lucci and Luffy. "LUFFY! WE'RE HERE!"

Luffy's head snapped around to look at us.

"WE ALL GOT TO THE BRIDGE SAFELY!" Franky called.

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT US, LUFFY!" Usopp joined in.

"WE GOT ROBIN SAFELY TOO!" Sanji yelled, pumping his fist.

'_KICK HIS ASS, CAPTAIN!_' I howled, throwing my head up in the air.

"DEFEAT HIM! WE'LL GET OUTTA HERE ALIVE TOGETHER!"

Luffy sent us a smile, nodding his head ever so slightly.

"In the end, this is what it comes down to," Zoro said, turning his walking closer into the bridge, getting ready to face the marines. Sanji, Franky and I followed suit, and I stuck closely to Zoro's side. I wanted to help him kick some ass when things hit the fan. "A game of endurance…"

'_It's time_,' I purred mentally, glancing around at the marines that lined the sides of the warships that were surrounding us.

"We have no need for people with a rank below that of Lieutenant Commander to go to the front," the voice came over the speaker yet again. "Assault unit consisting of 200, captains and commanders only. Take care of them immediately."

"He-Head Quarter Captains would be of the same level as that smoke bastard, Smoker!" Usopp stuttered. "There are so many of them!"

"It's simply proof that they're scared of us," Zoro said, and a grim smirk broke over my face.

"Eh? Huh? Where's Sanji?" Usopp asked all of a sudden and the rest of us looked at the spot he was before, but was not any longer. "He was here a minute ago!"

"What! Where the hell did that idiot cook go!" Zoro snapped.

"GET READY TO CHARGE!" a voice from the ships yelled.

"Stop trying to show off and attack already!" Zoro snapped.

"This'll be fun," Franky said, stretching his arms.

'_BRING IT ON!_' I snarled in challenge, pulling out my knife and spreading out my legs with my neck and back arched.

"We'll take 'em all on here, no matter what!" Zoro ordered, pulling out his swords. "We'll do this until Luffy gets here!"

"We've got to move away from the ship!" Nami called. "If they inflict damage to this ship, we won't be able to escape!"

"I'll never get caught by them!" Robin declared.

"RETRIEVE NICO ROBIN!" someone ordered, and at the same time all the marines let out war cries before launching themselves off the ships and into the air.

"After all this trouble we went through to get her back, you think that's gonna happen?" Franky challenged.

"200 marines… Sounds good!" Zoro called.

"But there's so many!" Usopp protested.

"Weapons Left!" Franky yelled, firing a small rocket out of his wrist that blew up in the air where some of the marines were.

"Taking them out one by one will be too hard. I'll just finish this now!" Zoro declared, jumping up into the air and swinging his swords at a group of marines.

'_I WON'T LET YOU HAVE ROBIN!_' I howled as I charged forward, springing up in the air to meet the charge head on. I slammed my paws into the face of the first marine turning him into a launching pad and using the force to throw him down to the ground. One of the marines in the air near me swung his sword towards me, and I caught it on my knife, flipping around, thrusting my back feet into his throat, causing him to let go of the sword and clutch his throat as he fell towards the water. Before he got too far away, I bounced off of his stomach, spinning in a ball and nailing another marine in the stomach, throwing him away.

By now, the rest of the marines had landed on the ground, so I tucked my head in, curling into a ball on rotating as I fell back towards the bridge. At the last second I uncurled, slamming my paws into the back of the head of a marine that had a cannon aimed at Usopp, smashing his face into the stone.

I looked around for my next opponent, only to notice that I'd been surrounded by a group of marines, all their weapons aimed at me.

'_Mother fuc–_' at the same time, several of them fired their small cannons directly at me, forcing me to jump up into the air to dodge the explosions. Before I had a chance to land again, three marines appeared in the air around me, all of the bearing swords. At the same time they swung at me at me, and I forced to twist in such a way that my back was facing the ground so I could catch the swords on my knife. The power behind the blows was more that I expected, sending me flying back at the ground.

I flipped around, smashing the top of my head against the head of a marine, causing the ground under his feet to crack. I jumped off, hitting the ground and running. If I stopped, they'd surrounded me again. I quickly figured that what I need to do was keep moving.

"WATCH OUT! THERE ARE DEVIL FRUIT USERS, TOO!" Franky's voice called through all the sounds of battles.

"The same goes for us too!" Robin replied.

I jumped up, swiping my knife across the chest of a marine, blood flying through the air. Something black came flying towards me out of the corner of my eyes, and I managed to make out that it was a large club, wielded by a marine, right before it impacted with my side, knocking all the wind out of me as I went flying across the bridge. I was almost thrown off the side, but I dug my claws into the ground and skidded across it, stopping mere centimeters away from the edge.

'_Shit!_' I swore, panting slightly. Another marine swung a sword at me, but I ducked between his legs, kicking him in the crotch with my back feet as I did so. _'I can only fight one damn person at a time! I really need an attack that can take out more than one person!_'

"KEEP HOLDING ON UNTIL LUFFY GETS HERE!" Zoro yelled through the sounds of battle.

'_Shit! Shit! Shit! THINK OF SOMETHING, YOU STUPID IDIOT!'_ I spat at myself as I was forced to do more dodging then attacking, weaving throughout legs and ducking under attacks. I skidded to a sudden stop as a plan suddenly flashed through my mind, forcing me to weigh up the chance of success. '_You can do this, idiot!_'

I stared the marines down silently, standing my ground while several of them charged me at once, their swords raised. '_Wait… Wait… Wait…_' I purred mentally, tuning everything else out from around me. The marines started to bring their swords down over my head. '_…NOW!_'

I put as much force into my legs as I could, launching myself straight up in the air above the heads of the marines as their swords impacted on the ground where I had just been. The image of the CP9 fan-girl flashed through my head as I curled into a ball, starting to spin. To create that force from her fans, she had twirled in a circle… I tightened my grip on my knife, positioning it out the side of my mouth, as I bent my head to the side. I spun in the air, starting to fall back towards the ground as I built up speed. '_Come on… Come on… COME ON! WORK!_' I snapped my head back around, carving my blade through the air as fast I could, feeling the air part around it. I felt a slight resistance as if there was some sort of barrier in the air, but I kept pushing on with all the force I could, and something exploded out of the edge of my blade, splitting the air in its path. I completed the swing and I stared with wide eyes in midair as a blast of what I could only describe as cutting air, sliced towards a bunch of marines gathered below. It smacked into them at full force, sending a shock wave that blew a large group of them away, several being thrown off the side of the bridge, a cloud of dust going up in the air.

I fell back to the ground, landing neatly on my paws as the dust settled around me. '_I… I did it… It… Worked!_' I laughed in my head, jumping up and smacking my paws against the ground in celebration.

"LUFFY!" I heard Usopp's voice scream out, and my head snapped around to see him standing on the edge of the bridge, facing where Luffy was with his mask off. Luffy was laid out on the ground, Lucci standing over him.

'_…Usopp_,' I mumbled. '_Luffy!_'

"LUFFY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! WAKE UP! LUFFY!" Usopp screamed.

A whistling in the air drew my attention back to the battle and I tried to jump backwards, only to have the blade slice through my side. I yelped, tumbling back, rolling over and jumping straight back to my feet. I was forced to duck under another swing, and then another after that. I tried to catch the next one on my sword, but the marine just smirked and doubled the power as it connected with my blade. The blow jarred my mouth and my blade was thrown from my jaws and across the bridge. I peeled back my teeth in a snarl, taking a step away from him as he advanced on me. The marine smirked even more before swinging the blade for me yet again. I started to dodge, but changed my mind at the last second when a stupid idea came into my head that I decided I had to try out. Instead of dodging it, I jumped straight towards the blade, jaws open and teeth flashing. The marine's eye widened as my jaws snapped closed around the metal, stopping it and shattering the blade at the same time, metal flying through the air. My ears rang from the force I had, had to put behind breaking the blade, and I had to shake my head to clear it. I glanced back up at the marine who was glancing between the broken sword in his hands, and me. It was my turn to smirk wolfishly at him right before I slammed my forehead against his. I then made sure to slam his head against the ground before retrieving my knife.

"Usopp? You… You're here…" I heard Luffy call weakly back across.

"D-Don't misunderstand me!" Usopp snapped. "I only came here to rescue Robin! It's not like I came here to see your face! Hey, you, the boss cat of the CP9! I'll be your next opponent! Come get me!"

"Hey! Don't!" Luffy protested. "Don't try… You… Don't start it!"

"I gave no business with someone who has been defeated," Lucci stated. "I'll kill everyone anyway."

I snarled, half listening to what Usopp and Luffy were saying while I continued to duck, dodged, weave and attack the marines.

"Right, come here boss cat!" Usopp challenged. "I'll blow you away!"

"Are you and idiot! Stop it, Usopp! You'll get killed!" Luffy yelled.

"Shut up! What can you, a half-dead man, do!" Usopp barked back.

"I'LL FINISH HIM OFF!"

"THEN STAND UP RIGHT AWAY! AND DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU! EVEN IF THERE ARE BILLOWS OF SMOKE, WE CAN STILL SEE THE SKY! WE CAN STILL SEE THE OCEAN! IT AIN'T LIKE IT'S HELL HERE! DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE! DON'T MAKE ME WORRY TOO MUCH, DAMMIT!"

"I know… This isn't hell or anything like that…" Luffy started to stand back up.

"WIN AND WE'LL ALL GO BACK TOGETHER, LUFFY!"

"OF COURSE!"

And with that said, Usopp was quick to join the fighting again, leaving Luffy to deal with Lucci. I was starting to feel more than a little tired, all my wounds screaming with protest every time I moved now. I didn't matter how many I took out, they kept getting back up and more kept appearing.

As a bunch of marines all tried to dog-pile me at once, I was forced to jump up in the air and repeated the move I'd learnt before, spinning in the air and snapping my head around to create a blast of air. This time the attack was weaker than the last, my body not being able to muster all the force it had before. This time the attack only took three marines. I landed and I started to dodge again, bouncing, zipping, and dancing between them, slicing at their legs with my blade now. That was until the area Luffy was fighting in exploded so violently that it shook the whole area, drawing everyone's attention – even that of the marines I was brawling with.

"LUFFY?" the others called as we waited for the smoke to clear so that we could see what had happened. The smoke cleared enough to make out the forms of both Luffy and Lucci sprawled on the ground.

"WE'RE GOING BACK TOGETHER, ROBIN!" Luffy screamed.

"R-Reporting to all warships!" came the voice from the speaker. "Mr. Rob Lucci of CP9 has been defeated by the Pirate, Straw Hat Luffy just now!"

"…LUFFY WON!" Usopp screamed in victory.

"Got me scared for a moment," Zoro laughed.

"You finally did it, Straw Hat!" Franky called.

'_GOOD JOB, CAPTAIN!_' I threw my head back and howled at the sky, the sound echoing around the area.

"Guys, get on the escape ship, right now! We'll set out!" Nami called.

"GOOD JOB, STRAW HAT!" another, different, voice called over the speaker.

"Idiot, they'll hear us!"

"It's okay, we're letting them know!"

"BRO! BROOO!"

"That voice… Who!" Usopp gaped.

"Stop! If we ran away quietly they'd just think we're all dead!"

"Guys…" Franky mumbled.

"It's them," Zoro smirked.

'_They're okay,_' I sighed in relief.

"We're all safe here!"

"The giants took all of the bombardment for us!"

"The warships are gonna come again! Let's run, quick!"

"We have a way to escape too, so don't worry about it! I'll see you guys later!"

"GUUUUUYZ!" Franky sobbed, tears streaming from his eyes. "VIDIOOOD I WOULD DEVER VORRY ABOUT YOU GUUUUYS! VOOOLS! Yee! Zouz hidiods zar abrive! Abriiive! Ahrm zo glayd! Ahm zo happeeeey!"

"Yeah, that's good news! But all will be meaningless if you die, won't it?" Zoro asked.

"What are you doing!" one of the lead marines yelled. "Hurry up and finish your mission!"

With that order, the attacks started again, and I groaned mentally, running straight at a marine and vaulting up so that I could smash his head against the head of a fellow marine, dropping them both.

"Don't take your eyes off Straw Hat!" the same marine ordered again.

"Y-Yes, Sir, but!" the voice called across the speaker. "Pirate Straw Hat Luffy is also fatally wounded and doesn't seem to be moving from the spot at all!"

"What!" Zoro hissed.

'_Dammit, Luffy!_' I snarled, driving the hilt of my blade into the stomach of a marine.

"HEY, LUFFY!" Usopp yelled. "HURRY UP AND COME OVER HERE! IF WE DON'T GET AWAY, WE WON'T SURVIVE! WHAT'S WRONG! WE'RE ALMOST THERE! USE YOUR GOMU GOMU AND JUMP OVER HERE! I'LL CARRY YOU FROM HERE! WE'RE SURROUNDED BY THE OCEAN AND WARSHIPS! YOU'LL BE KILLED IF YOU STAY THERE!"

"Can't… My body… Won't move… At all!" Luffy panted.

"DON'T BE SILLY! YOU WON THE BATTLE!" he screamed back. "WE GOT ROBIN BACK, TOO! ALL WE HAVE LEFT IS TO GO BACK! PLEASE! YOU CAN DO IT!"

"USOPP!" Nami called. "WE CAN TAKE THE SHIP TO WHERE LUFFY IS! EVERYONE, GET ONBOARD!"

"FIRE!" the speakers screamed, and our boat suddenly exploded in a ball of flame and explosion, a heat wave blasting over us.

"NO! OUR ESCAPE SHIP!" Nami screamed.

"WHAT THE HELL! WE'RE DOOMED! THAT SHIP WAS OUR WAY OUTTA HERE!" Franky yelled.

"KOKORO! CHINMNEY! GOMBE! CHOPPER!" Nami called.

'_SHIT! THE OTHERS WERE ON THE SHIP!_' I gasped, my head snapping around to stare at the ball of flames and smoke.

"THEY'RE SORT OF SAFE!" Sanji coughed as he ran out of the flames and up the stairs, onto the bridge, carrying the four of then.

"SANJI! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME!" Nami yelled as he ran up to her dropped the others.

"Yeah, sorry, I had some errands to run!" Sanji said. "But oh man! What a mess! Since we have Robin on our side, I didn't think they'd fire at the ship."

'_Well I'll be dammed. We all have the Devil's luck. Nothing will kill any of us_,' I sighed in relief, snapping my jaws around the wrist of a marine and throwing him over my body and into another marine.

"FIRE!" the speaker called. "CHASE THEM TO THE SECOND PROP!"

More bombardments started to hit the bridge, cutting down its size bit by bit. Everyone turned tail and ran to the edge of the bridge that was closet to Luffy, even the marines who were targeted in the attack as well. The warship didn't care about them, a lot of them being blasted off the bridge by the attacks. I felt heat biting at the tip of my tail and the ground started to shatter under my paws, trying to drag me down to the sea with it. I wasn't about to go for a swim, so I put my remaining energy behind I jump, launching myself up into the air and out of the smoke. I landed on the only remaining bit of the bridge, skidding to a stop as the attacks stopped.

"Shit! The bridge is gone! We're trapped on the prop!" Sanji snapped.

"There's nothing we can do any more!" Zoro hissed.

"We'll just have to fight all of 'em here!" Nami protested.

"Don't be stupid! There's gonna be a bunch of stronger ones coming out!" Franky replied.

'_We have to do something!_' I growled, staring down the warships that were surrounding us. I didn't get much time to do some staring before the marines that were left continued their attacks on us.

"Aim all cannons at the first prop!" the speaker called. "Obliterate Straw Hat Luffy immediately!"

"Luffy's in danger! We should at least get him to this side!" Zoro yelled, taking out a few more marines.

"LUFFY!" Usopp cried.

"It's no good! Even if I try to pull him, he'll fall into the ocean on the way here!" Robin called.

"STAND UP, STRAW HAT!" the Franky Family and shipwrights called across the speaker.

"Pull yourself together, brat!" Kokoro scolded.

"PIRATE BROTHER!" Chimney cried.

"LUFFY! STAND UP! PLEASE!" Nami begged.

"CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING AT ALL, LUFFY?" Sanji yelled.

'LUFFY! STAND UP! MOVE! DO SOMETHING!' I howled, catching a sword swing on my blade and twisting around to kick straight into the marine's stomach.

"LUFFY!"

"STRAW HAT!"

"STRAW HAT! COME ON!"

"STRAW HAT!"

"LUFFY!"

"Wh-who is it? Whose voice is it?" Usopp cried all of a sudden, gripping his head.

"I told you, they're my men!" Franky snapped, knocking away a few more marines.

"No!" Usopp protested. "Not that voice! It's been around for a while!"

"Look below," an eerie voice called, causing me to tense up and almost get taken out by a marine's punch. I let the punch land on my head, absorbing the blow. The marine pulled back his hand with a cry, clutching it to his chest.

"I can really hear it!" Usopp cried before getting on his hands and knees and peering over the edge of the bridge. "What? Below?"

"Who?" Nami called.

"What is it?" Sanji asked.

"It said, "Look below!"" Chopper cried. We were all hearing it.

"Firing at Straw Hat Luffy in the first prop in five seconds!"

"LUFFY! JUMP INTO THE OCEAN!" Usopp screamed.

"Four seconds!"

"Usopp?" Zoro hissed.

"Robin, can you drop Luffy into the ocean?" Usopp begged.

"Leave it to me!" she replied.

"Idiot! Are you trying to kill yourself!" Zoro snapped, shoving away a few marines. "Being desperate won't save you!"

"Three."

"WE'LL SURVIVE! SHE CAME TO SAVE US!" Usopp screamed, jumping up and grabbing Zoro by the shoulders. I swore and quickly jumped in front of the two, driving the hilt of my knife into a marine's stomach when he went to attack them. "WE STILL HAVE… WE STILL HAVE ONE MORE NAKAMA!"

I glanced into the ocean and words failed me. We did have one more nakama who we'd tried to leave behind, and she'd come back for us.

"Two."

"CIEN FLEUR! DELPHINIUM!" Robin called, hands sprouting up next to Luffy, rolling him towards the edge.

"One."

"INTO THE OCEAN!" Sanji bellowed.

"OCEAN!" Nami laughed.

"INTO THE OCEAN!" Chopper sobbed.

"FOLLOW LUFFY!" Usopp cried, jumping off the bridge as Luffy was thrown over the side by Robin. The rest of us wasted no time, running to the edge and launching ourselves off into the air. I landed one more kick in a marine's crotch for extra measure before I took a run-up and launched myself into the air, howling as I did so.

"THE PIRATES ARE JUMPING INTO THE OCEAN!"

"IDIOTS! THERE'S NO WAY THEY CAN SURVIVE IN THE OCEAN!"

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD!"

"FIRE!"

I looked around at the looks of happiness of everyone's faces; no signs of weariness anymore as the prop exploded behind us.

"Let's go back, everyone!" the ghost voice called again. "Back to the sea of adventure again! I've come to take you home!"

"GET ON MERRY!" Usopp screamed.

"MERRY!" Luffy cried.

Everyone splashed into the ocean around Merry, before swimming straight towards the boat. Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp were the first to get on and started puling everyone else aboard.

"HURRY!" Zoro ordered, reaching over the side and grabbing me by the scruff so that he could drag me in as well.

"MERRY! MERRY IS ALIVE!" Usopp sobbed, clinging to her railing.

"There, get on board, Devil Fruit users! Nagaga!" Kokoro laughing, throwing out three devil fruit users onto the ship.

"It's Merry! I love Merry after all!" Chopper sobbed as he landed on her deck.

"I can't believe it!" Franky gasped as he glanced around. "This ship was already tossed off into the sea at that time…"

"Who steered her here?" Nami questioned.

"That's not important right now! Give us our orders, we need to get outta here!" Zoro snapped.

'_Thank you, Merry!_' I whimpered, nuzzling my head against her railing.

"Bhaa! That was close! I thought I was gonna get killed by the warships!" Luffy gasped. "Hey! Robin! You saved me! Than –"

Robin used her devil fruit powers to cover his mouth before turning to us all. "Everyone! Thank you!" We all grinned.

"Don't worry about it! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, still sprawled out on the deck.

"Talk nonsense after we get out of here!" Zoro snapped.

"What do you mean nonsense, stupid swordsman!" Sanji snapped, kicking Zoro who was forced to pull him sword out to defend himself. Even Chopper jumped up and bit Zoro's leg like a dog, clinging on.

"Shut up! If we die here, everything would be a waste!"

"Apologize to Robin, you punk!"

"Sanji, go steer the ship, please!" Nami called, breaking up the fight.

"Okay, Nami!" he cooed.

"Hey, hey! Are you kidding me? Are you letting them escape just like that!" a familiar voice yelled over the speakers from the warships. "Rather than letting them escape, blow them up along with Nico Robin! Admiral Aokiji said so! All ships, prepare fire!"

"A-Admiral Aokiji?"

"Okay! Aim!"

"All ships, prepare fire!"

"THAT SPANDA BASTARD! HE'S STILL ALIVE!" Franky raged.

'_WHY DOESN'T HE JUST KEEL OVER AND DIE!_' I spat, jumping up onto the railing so I could stare down the ships again.

"They're aiming at us!" Usopp panicked.

"Receive wind from starboard and steer towards the east!" Nami ordered in the background.

"No! We're blocked!"

"A number of cannons are aiming at us, too!"

"It's impossible not to get hit!"

"FIRE!" the ships called.

"HERE THEY COME!"

I braced for impact, only to have my jaw drop when none of the blasts hit. Their blasts either hit each other or landed uselessly in the water around us. That caused a lot of shouting and yelling from the warships as they tried to figure out what was going on.

"THE GATES OF JUSTICE WERE CLOSED WITHOUT US KNOWING!"

"THE GATES BLOCKED THE CURRENTS AND CREATED A BUNCH OF WHIRLPOOLS… THEY'RE NOW OVERRIDING OUR STEERING!"

"THE WHIRLPOOLS MESSED UP OUR AIM!"

"DON'T BE SWALLOWED UP BY THE CURRENT!"

Two warships got caught in a current that smashed them against each other, shattering and breaking them.

"IDIOT! WHY DID YOU CLOSE THE GATES! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"THE LEVER TO THE CONTROL GATES IS LOCATED AT THE THRID PROP OF THE BRIDGE OF HESITATION! WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"Whoa, that was more than I expected," Sanji admitted as two of the ships that crashed together burst into flames and started to sink.

"Sanji! Could it be…" Usopp gaped.

'_That's where you went…_' I mumbled.

"They're not the kind of enemy that we can get away form with our guts, right?" Sanji asked, tapping his head with a smirk.

"Amazing, Sanji!" Usopp cheered.

"Are you a genius!" Luffy cried.

"Don't be so happy, alright!" Zoro snapped. "The whirlpools are dangerous for us, too!"

"Oh, yeah! We're gonna die!" Chopper shrieked.

"Shut up, guys! There's no sea that Merry couldn't cross while we were on it!" Nami protested as Merry cut through the waves, wind filling the sails. "Just hang in there until I manage to read how the current flows!"

"Sure thing!"

Missiles continued to landed around the Merry, sending water flying. I got drench by a wave of water as one cannon landed close enough to the boat to splash me.

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY! FIRE!"

"Defend the ship!" Zoro ordered, running up to the front of the ship. Sanji, Usopp, and I followed him. Robin and Franky kept the mast safe. A range of attacks pushed any cannonballs that came our way back, some even being sent straight back to the enemy ships, where they blew up. Three came my way, and I was forced to stay on the railing and use my back feet to kick them back at the marine ships. I had to use enough force to get them away from Merry before they exploded. We all work in a synchronized manner, making sure none made contact with Merry.

"I want to fight too!" Luffy complained, dragging himself towards us with his teeth. I sweat-dropped.

"You can't even move!" Usopp protested, firing a few of his bullets at the canon balls.

"He's right, Luffy," Sanji agreed, landing on the deck after kicking a cannonball back at the warships. "Leave this too us."

"You just go rest," Zoro finished, sending a slice into the air, causing several cannonballs to exploded in midair.

'_You'll get in trouble up here_,' I snapped, jumping up in the air slamming my head against a cannonball, sending it flying back at the warships.

"I don't care what you say!" Luffy whined, still dragging himself closer. "I'm gonna fight too!"

"Stop it already, Luffy!" Zoro growled.

"But I'm the captain!" he protested, and Sanji and Zoro finally gave up, Zoro grabbing Luffy's legs and Sanji grabbing Luffy's arms. They braced themselves against the railing, stretching Luffy out like a sheet. I skittered back out of the road, past the point of caring what they did now. Luffy was asking for it. A volley of cannonballs came flying for the ship, and Zoro and Sanji used Luffy to catch them.

"One…"

"Two…"

"THREE!"

The used Luffy to send the cannonballs straight back at the warship that fired them, causing a massive explosion on the ship.

"You saved us, Captain!" Zoro laughed as he dropped Luffy back to the deck.

"That's the captain for you!" Sanji agreed, big grins on both their faces.

"YOU GUYS ARE MONSTERS!" Usopp snapped, and all three of them gave him peace signs.

'_They're men, whatcha gonna do_,' I sighed, shaking my head slowly.

"I see a way to victory!" Nami declared all of a sudden. "Chopper! Hard to the port!"

"Got it!" he replied, steering the ship.

"Towards 9 o'clock!" I felt the motion of the ship change as we caught a new current, the ship zipping around the warships.

"GO!" Luffy cheered.

"The pirates are heading towards the fall!" the speaker called out.

"FIRE! FIRE! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING! ARE YOU IDIOTS!"

"They seem to have caught the flow of the whirlpools! They're moving at rapid speed!"

"DAMMIT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL, BASTARDS!" Spandam screeched as the Merry started to get away from the marines. "I USED ALL OF ENIES LOBBY'S POWER! I USED ALL THE POWER OF THE BUSTER CALL! WHY THE HELL CAN'T I GET A SINGLE WOMAN FROM THOSE WORTHLESS PIRATES!"

'_Robin_…' I glanced to the side, noticing she had made her way up the back of the ship with us. I watched silently as Robin crossed her arms over her chest, arms appearing all over Spandam.

"Clutch!" I heard the cracks from all the way over on Merry, causing me to smirk.

"Franky! Your turn!" Nami called out as Franky made his way up to the back of the ship with us.

"Block their course! They cannot get away from the whirlpool anyway!" the marines called.

"This will probably hurt the ship a little, but…" he took the same stance he took when he pushed the monster Chopper from the building, and I knew straight away what he was planning. I jumped up the railing and onto the deck, standing near Luffy so I could make sure he didn't go flying off. "Coup De Vent!"

A blast of air shot out of Franky's hand, slamming into the water and pushing Merry flying off into the sky. I dug my claws into the deck so I wouldn't get blown off.

"Don't underestimate her experience!" Usopp snapped, getting ready to fire another of his bullets. "Merry flew 10,000 meters into the sky! Cho Kemuri Boshi*!" Usopp fired something that went flying back to where the marine warships were, exploding and creating a large smoke screen to block us from their view. There was a loud round of yelling from the ships as Merry landed back on the ocean, the wind picking up her sails straight away. They tried firing more cannonballs through the smokescreen, but none of them came even close to Merry as we sped away from them.

'_Can I sleep yet?_'

* * *

><p>"Is this good enough?" Kokoro asked as he dropped Luffy on Merry's figurehead.<p>

"Yep, this is my seat!" Luffy explained before resting his against Merry's head. "We managed to get away thanks to you, Merry!"

"But then, what you guys did was really dangerous," Franky said all of a sudden. "You burnt down the flag of the World Government."

"We only took back our nakama who was taken away!" Luffy answered, rolling over. "THIS FIGHT IS OUR VICTORY!"

"YEAH!"

* * *

><p><strong>Cho Kemuri Boshi:<strong> Literally meaning "Super Smoke Star". This is called "Special Attack: Super Smoke Star" in the FUNimation Subs.

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	57. Do I know you?

**Here's a new chapter! Sorry for the wait! **

**In other news, are any of my readers going to be attending Oz Comic in Adelaide, Australia, this April? When my friend and I heard Benedict Cumberbatch and Billie Piper were going to attend, we decided we'd go there too. **

**As always, thank you for your lovely reviews for last chapter. I tried to reply to as many as them as I could, but sometimes I get a bit side-tracked and miss a few. So if I missed you, I'm sorry!**

* * *

><p>"Hey! Hey, hey, hey!" Luffy called loudly, causing me to twitch. I was on the front deck of the boat with the others still. Not much time had passed since our escape, and now Luffy was sitting on Chopper's shoulders and letting the reindeer carry him around. "Do you know where Usopp is? He's missing!"<p>

Sanji sent "Sogeking" a pointed look, but Usopp just replied, "Don't worry. He went back first with a boat." Sanji kicked him in the back of the head.

"EH! WHY! BUT THIS IS HIS SHIP!" Luffy protested.

Zoro and I, who were perched on the railing next to each other, shared looks, wondering how Chopper and Luffy had yet to connect the dots about Sogeking and Usopp.

"I checked, but no one else is on board," Nami said from the lower deck, walking towards us.

"That's strange…" Sanji mumbled.

"I did hear a voice calling us," Zoro admitted.

"Is that so?" Kokoro questioned.

"I'm sure we were called," Robin agreed.

'_I heard it too_,' I said, tilting my head to the side.

"Like I said, that was Merry's voice!" Luffy snapped.

"Eh! Really!" Chopper gasped.

"Right, Merry!" Luffy called, waving to the figurehead. "Say something!"

"Idiot, there is no way a ship can talk," Zoro sighed.

'_There's no way a ship could sail itself either,_' I agreed.

"I somewhat thought so, too… But it's impossible," Nami admitted.

"Hmm? A ship's coming from ahead!" Luffy announced, grabbing everyone's attention.

"What! Who!" Usopp stuttered.

"It's a Galley-La Company's ship!" Sanji pointed out as the sails came close enough to be read. The ship bared the name, "Galley-La Company". Voices started to yell at us from the ship.

"IT'S THE STRAW HATS!"

"THEY'RE ALIVE!"

"YOU ARE SAFE!"

"Amazing! You guys set out to sea during the Aqua Laguna… It's unbelievable!"

"And you guys made it back from Enies Lobby!"

"Uncle Ice!" Luffy called and waved when he saw who was at the head of the ship.

"Bakaburg," Franky said, smirking slightly. Almost everyone else on our ship was waving at the cheers and calls from the other boat.

An ominous groaning sound echoed from the ship, causing me to twitch my ears and look around. Next thing we knew, there was a loud crack and everyone was thrown from their feet as the front of the ship snapped away from the rest of the ship. I was almost thrown into the sea, only just managing to hook my paws around the railing at the last second.

"MERRY!" Usopp gasped.

"Look! Their ship!" the shipwrights gasped.

"Hey, what's going on all of a sudden! Merry is –" Zoro started to say, only to get cut off by Sanji.

"This is not all of a sudden. This is expected! They did say Merry cannot go any further. You haven't forgotten about that, have you?"

"But!" Luffy protested, sitting up and rubbing his head. He then got up and ran to the front of the ship. "Uncle! We've got trouble! Merry's in danger! Please do something! This is perfect timing! You're all shipwrights, right? Please! Please do something! She's a nakama that has traveled with us all this time! And just now… She saved us just now!"

"Then, let her sleep already," Iceberg replied. "We've done all we possibly can. I'm seeing a miracle right now. A miracle from a ship that reached its limit a long time ago. I've been a shipwright for many years, yet I've seen such an amazing pirate ship. It lived a very admirable life."

After a few seconds silence, Luffy sighed, "I understand."

'_Merry_,' I whimpered, jumping down onto her deck, pressing my nose against her deck. '_Oh, Merry… My poor Merry_.'

* * *

><p>"So, are you guys ready?" Luffy called from his small lifeboat that was floating besides Merry. The rest of us were in a bigger lifeboat, standing up and facing Merry.<p>

"Yeah."

"Merry," Luffy said, holding out his burning torch, "the bottom of the sea is dark and lonely. We'll see you off here." He reached forward, pressing the torch against Merry's wood, setting her alight. "It's probably best Usopp isn't around. There's no way he can endure this."

"And what do you say to that?" Zoro asked "Sogeking", who was standing on the other side of him.

"He'll be all right. A time of separation has come, when men part ways. He's fully prepared for this moment."

"Thank you for carrying us all this, Merry," Luffy said, his boat floating back towards us as we silently watched Merry go up in flames. I was staring ahead blankly, trying not to have a mental breakdown, when something fell on my nose, causing me to blink. It wasn't just me; Nami held out her hand and caught some.

"It's snowing," she gasped, right before tears started to fill her eyes and roll down her cheeks. I tilted my head up to the sky as more snow fell around us, my mind swimming in memories of our fun times on Merry. It wouldn't be the same without our loyal ship. I glanced at the others, and saw that Chopper and Usopp were bawling as well, and the rest of the crew had reminiscent looks on their faces. I clenched my jaw, knowing that if I was human, I would have been crying as well.

Merry had gone through so much with us. I was there when we got Merry, and it just didn't feel right that she wouldn't be carrying us any further. She was out nakama, and nakama stick together, right?

My shoulder shook with sadness and my chest throbbed and ached, but I kept my head up. I would not lower my head and look away while my dear friend was being laid to rest. That would just be spitting in the face of someone who'd done so much for us.

Merry's mast snapped, falling towards the water and tipping the whole boat as she started to go under, still aflame.

"I'm sorry," the ghostly voice spoke. "I wanted to carry you just a bit further… I'm sorry. I wanted to go on more adventures with you…"

"A voice!" the shipwrights gasped.

"Merry?" Chopper called.

"But I…"

"WE'RE THE ONES WHO SHOULD HAVE TO APOLOGIZE, MERRY!" Luffy bawled, tears pouring from his eyes. "I'M NOT GOOD AT NAVIGATING, AND I CRASHED YOU INTO AN ICEBERG! I EVEN RIPPED THE SAIL SOMETIMES! ZORO AND SANJI ARE IDIOTS, SO THEY BROKE MANY THINGS, TOO! USOPP ALWAYS TRIED TO FIX YOU EVERY TIME, BUT HE'S NO GOOD AT IT, EITHER! WE'RE SO SORRY!"

"But I was happy," Merry replied as she started to disappear under the waves. "Thank you for taking good care of me until now. I was really happy."

"MERRY!"

I slowly lifted my head up, taking a deep breath before letting out a long and mournful howl into the air, the sound echoing around the area.

'_Goodbye, my dear friend, Merry. I won't forget you._'

* * *

><p>"Ngagaga, I'm coming in, guys!" Kokoro called as she waltzed through the door.<p>

"I'm coming in!" Chimney chirped as well.

'_Yeah, yeah!_'

'_I'm coming in too, yo!_'

I cracked my eyes open from the place I was laying on the bed, my head resting on my paws. Kokoro, Chimney and the rabbit made it inside, but Yokozuna got wedged in the doorway.

'_I'm stuck, yo!_' he croaked, causing me to sweat-drop.

"Yokozuna! Just stay outside!" Kokoro snapped.

_"Kokoro,"_ Sanji greeted, carrying more plates of food to Luffy's table. The frog pulled himself out of the doorway and quickly made his way to an outside window, shoving his head through instead.

"Everyone's finally awake now, eh?" she asked. "You must've been really tired. You slept for two whole days. I can understand though." Kokoro then noticed how much food Luffy was shoveling in his mouth. "Oh, the Pirate King is more energetic then ever!"

"Ah, that's different," Sanji sweat-dropped.

'You've got it all wrong,' I agreed.

"What's different?" she questioned.

"He hates missing his meal after the fights, so he somehow learned how to eat while sleeping," Sanji explained.

"HE'S SLEEPING LIKE THAT!" Kokoro cried, as Luffy kept inhaling his food.

"Pirate bro's amazing!"

'_Yeah, yeah!_'

Kokoro turned to Nami who was slouched over on another table, moping. "The log pose should be ready in a couple of days, right? What will you do now?"

"Even thought the log pose will be ready, we can't really go anywhere," she mumbled, a depressed air around her. I let out a song sigh, watching them silently. "The 100 million beri to buy us a new ship… All of our clothes and furniture… And Bellemere's orange trees… They were all taken away by Aqua Laguna, so we're stuck here."

'_In other words, everything of ours is gone._'

"We stored them all in the backstreet's inn," Sanji elaborated for Kokoro.

"Then the guests we have… Might be them," Kokoro said, taking a swig of her booze.

"Guests?"

* * *

><p>"Orange trees!" Nami shrieked, hugging the trees. "I never thought I'd see them again! I'm so happy!"<p>

'_It's all here_,' I barked as I sniffed all the bags, suits and cases the two men brought in for us. I stuffed my muzzle in one of the bags, pulling out my rose. '_All of it!_'

"We took away all your belongings when we kick you out," one started to explain.

"Because we thought you were Iceberg's assassins. Sorry about that," the other one finished, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh no, thank you so much!" Nami cried.

"We're back," Chopper called as him and Robin walked back through the doors. "I examined the Franky Family's injuries. I didn't take my eyes off of Robin either!"

"Right! Good job, Chopper!" Sanji saluted him.

"Fufu, I won't go anywhere anymore," Robin laughed.

'_Chopper, Robin_,' I cooed, slipping the rose into my bandana and wandering over to them, nuzzling Chopper in greeting.

"Look guys!" Nami called. "My orange trees are safe! Our money and belongings are safe, too! We can continue out adventures!"

"Oh, yay!" Chopper cheered.

Next thing I knew, the doors burst open yet again, and in the doorway was Franky and the two twins, posing with their asses facing us. "Feeling super you guys? Meh, not all of you are here, but it's all right! Guys, I've got something to tell you! Listen!"

'_Then stop shoving your damn asses in our faces and sit the fuck down_!' I snapped, baring my teeth at him. I'd yet to forgive him.

The three quickly sat themselves on the ground, making themselves right at home. I sat down next to Sanji who was standing in front of the three, waiting for them to explain.

"On an island with a never ending war–" he started to say, but Sanji cut him off.

"What is this all of a sudden! I won't listen if it's just some boring story!" he raged.

"Hush! Just listen quietly!" Franky protested. "There was a huge tree that never fell, even if people started a war with rains of bullets, or if everyone died and left the island in ruins. People still went back to the tree and used it to rebuild towns and nations. There are only a few trees like that in the world… The treasure tree, Adam."

"A tree? So what?" Chopper asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Parts of the tree appear on the black market once in a while," Franky explained. "I've always wanted to have them, but I couldn't because they cost nearly 200 million beri."

'_Oi_,' I snarled, knowing where this was going.

"And then appeared a pirate group with a lot of money… You guys."

"BASTARD! DON'T TELL ME YOU BROUGHT THAT CRAP WITH OUR MONEY!" Sanji yelled.

"Just listen!" Franky begged, bracing his fists against the ground and bowing his head. "Once I made a decision not to build ships anymore. But before I knew it, I was already drawing the blueprints because I wanted to catch up to the one person I look up to… MY DREAM IS TO BUILD A "DREAM SHIP" THAT CAN CROSS ANY SEA, WITH THE TREE, ADAM!" He looked up at us again. "Now I have the parts from the treasure tree and the blueprints for a ship ready as well! I'll build this ship now! So, when I finish it, will you guys sail with the ship that I made?"

"Eh! Eh!" Chopper gasped.

"Then… Are you giving us the ship?" Sanji questioned.

"That's right," he smirked. "What would make the happiest is to have someone I like sail with it. I got the money from you guys anyway. The only ship that managed to go around the world, Gold D. Roger's Oro Jackson, was also made with the parts of this tree. I'll make a terrific ship."

"Can't be help," Kokoro laughed. "Tom and you… In the end, you're all the same. Ngagaga."

"Yeah, now I can understand Tom's feeling when he died with his pride," Franky agreed.

"You're such a good guy! We'll take it! Thanks, Franky!" Chopper cheered.

"Yeah! Now we can go to the next island!" Sanji yelled.

"I'm so happy! Luffy! We're getting a new ship!" Nami shrieked.

'_Hmm… Still won't forgive you_,' I grunted, turning my face away from him and sticking my nose up in the air.

It was at that very moment that the wall exploded in a shower or rubble, causing Franky and the twins to jump to their feet, and the rest of us to jump back.

"What!" Franky gasped.

"Who is it!" Chopper demanded.

"You… are the Straw Hat crew, aren't you?" the man who busted the wall down asked, and I snarled, stalking forward and placing myself in front of Kokoro, Chimney and the rabbit. Standing in the new hole in the wall was a marine that had some sort of dog head hat and his hands tucked into his pockets as he stepped into the room. Behind him was a team of marines, all standing in the yard. "I brought someone I want Monkey D. Luffy to meet. "

'_Gods dammed marines!_' I swore, my eyes narrowed.

Sanji, Chopper, and Franky all got in battle ready positions, guarding a sleeping Luffy. That didn't bother the marine at all, in a split second he had zapped past them, swinging his fist at Luffy, and nailing him in the top of the head. Luffy went flying into the ground, the table and chairs shattering underneath force of the blow. "WAKE UP, LUFFY!"

"OW! OW! THAT HURT!" Luffy screamed, suddenly awake as he skidded back next to us, clutching his head where a large lump had formed.

"Ouch? What are you talking about! It's a punch! It wouldn't hurt you, your rubber!" Sanji protested.

"There's no way anyone can escape the Fist of Love," the marine said, pulling off his hat. "I heard you've been doing reckless thing, Luffy!"

"G-G-G-GRANPA!" Luffy screamed, causing a wave of shock to go across the room.

"WHAT! GRANDPA?"

"Luffy, don't you owe me an apology?" the old man demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Vice-Admiral Garp has a grandson?" some of the marines outside muttered amongst themselves, as shocked as we were.

"Garp? You mean the hero of the marines!" Nami gasped.

'_…Who?_' I blinked, eyeing the old man, trying to find some resemblance between him and Luffy.

"Luffy! Is he really your Grandpa?" Sanji asked.

"Yup! Don't try and fight him! You'll get killed!" Luffy ordered, and I tuned down my growling, sending him an unsure look. "I was nearly killed by Grandpa on many occasions in the past."

"Hey, hey, don't say such scandalous things," Garp protested. "When I pushed you over bottomless cliffs, threw you into the jungle at night, tied you on a balloon and sent you flying into the sky… All that was done so that you could become a strong man!"

"…I think I just saw the root of Luffy's endless will to live," Sanji deadpanned.

'_No kidding…_' I sweat-dropped. '_I think Garp here, and Ikol, would get along well together by the sounds of it…_'

"In the end, I entrusted him to a friend of mine and trained him with Ace, but as soon as I took my eyes off of him, this happened!" Garp snapped. "I TRAINED YOU TO BE A STRONG MARINE!"

"I ALWAYS SAID I WANTED TO BE A PIRATE!" Luffy yelled back, getting to his feet.

"NONSENSE! YOU'RE JUST UNDER THE BAD INFLUENCE OF THE RED-HAIRED PIRATE!"

"SHANKS SAVED MY LIFE! DON'T SPEAK ILL OF HIM!"

Garp lunged forward, grabbing Luffy by the front of his shirt and pulling back his fist in a threatening manner. "ARE YOU TELLING YOUR OWN GRANDFATHER WHAT TO DO!"

"GAH! I'M SORRY!" Luffy cried, flinching away from Garp.

"No way! He doesn't even try to fight against his Grandfather!" Sanji gaped.

"Ahh! A marine captured Luffy!" Chopper shrieked.

"LUFFY!"

"EHHH! THEY FELL ASLEEP!" everyone yelled as both Garp and Luffy started snoring, snot bubbles coming out of their noses, still in the same position they were before.

'_…What_,' I gaped, dumbfounded.

"Now way! What should we do?" Franky asked. "I've never seen anything like this!"

"Ohh! Crap, I fell asleep!" Grap said suddenly, his eyes snapping open. He then glanced down at a still sleeping Luffy before twitching and beating the crap out of him. "WAKE UP, LUFFY! HOW CAN YOU DISPLAY SUCH AND ATTITUDE WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF SCOLDING YOU!"

"GYAAAAH!"

"FIRST OF ALL, HOW DARE YOU SPEAK LIKE THAT TO YOUR OWN GRANDFATHER!"

'_…Fuck it, I give up. I'm not dealing with idiots_.'

Everyone else had looks of "Whatever, do what you want" on their faces, and I shook my head.

"IT HURTS!" Luffy whined as Grap threw him back on the ground, several new lumps on his head.

"Listen, do you even know what kind of guy the pirate, red-haired pirate is?" Garp asked.

"Shanks? Are Shanks and the others doing fine! Where are they!"

"Whether or not he's doing fine… There are numerous pirates out there. However he is now one of the four most powerful pirates alongside Whitebeard. We call those pirates, who rein like emperors over the latter half of the Grand Line, the Yonko. The marines created the Shichibukai in ordered to balance these four! Their power is so influential that should these powers become unbalanced, the peace of the world would crumble."

"I don't really understand, but I'm happy to hear they're doing fine," Luffy replied. "I miss them."

"…He has connections with that red-hair pirate?" Robin asked Nami.

"Luffy's taking care of that Straw Hat on behalf of him," Nami answered. "I didn't know he was such an influential man."

A sudden noise outside drew everyone's attention as the marines started to yelling out from being attacked.

"Hmm, what's going on?" Garp asked.

"It's Pirate Hunter Zoro, the one with a bounty on his head," a shady looking man who was without a doubt second in charge here answered.

"I see… Luffy's nakama, right? He seems to be doing good," Garp smirked. "Well guys, try and stop him."

"Yes, Sir!" two voices replied at the same time and I froze, something nagging the back of my mind. Those voices… Did I know those voices? Why did they sound familiar… I didn't know any marines.

I shook my head, and broke out in a run, dashing past Garp and his second in command so I could get outside through the hole in the wall. Luffy quickly followed me. I skidded to a stop, just outside the hole, staring as an odd looking boy attacked Zoro, two large, oddly shaped knives in his hands.

"Kukuri knives? You have some rare stuff," Zoro said as he caught the boy's attack on his swords. The boy continued to attack him, and Zoro kept blocking.

"Hey! Zoro!" Luffy yelled, running past me, towards Zoro. "Wait! There's no reason to fi –"

Luffy was cut off as another marine boy – a pink haired one – appeared before Luffy, landing a solid kick under his chin, knocking Luffy back.

"What the hell! Bastard!" Luffy yelled, pulling back his fist and getting ready to throw it.

"Soru," the boy said, disappearing milliseconds before Luffy's fist flew through the space he was just was.

"That attack!" Luffy mumbled as the kid appeared behind him, about to pounce on him from behind. Luffy was too fast for him, reaching behind and seizing him by the collar before throwing him over his shoulder and pining him to the ground, fist raised threateningly. By this time Zoro had also knocked the kukuri knives from the other kid, swords held at his neck.

'_…Who_,' I wondered, tilting my head to the side as I stared with narrowed eyes. '_Those voices…_'

"Chief petty officer!"

"Petty officer!"

"Bwahaha!" Garp laughed loudly, walking up next to me. "They're no match!"

"You're as strong as I thought. Just what I'd expect," the pink-haired kid laughed. "I've lost." Luffy got off of the kid, stepping back and allowing him to climb to his feet. Zoro put away his swords, and the other kid also jumped back up. "Luffy, Zoro, long time no see. Do you know who I am?"

_Click_

Everything sudden fell into place like a puzzle. The pink hair. The voice. He may look different, and his attitude may have changed, but there was mistaking who it was. I had the mental image of a pink-haired boy cowering behind me, blood running from his shoulder due to a bullet wounds, and a line of marines standing before us, gun aimed in our direction.

'_COBBBBBBBBBBBY!_' I howled loudly, bursting forward at full speed before I'd even thought about it. I crossed the ground between is in seconds, dashing past a shocked Zoro and Luffy as I threw myself at the boy, my body colliding roughly with his chest. The poor kid stumbled back, grunting from the power behind my jump, his arms wrapping around my furry body so I didn't fall back to the ground. '_COBY! COBY! COBY! COBY! IT'S YOU! COBBBBBY!_'

"Mamori?" the others gaped as I shoved my face into Coby's, dragging my tongue along his cheek in greeting, whining excitedly, my body wiggling in his arms.

"It's you!" Coby gasped, struggling to hold me up with all the wiggling I was doing, his face scrunched up for my lick. He then started laughing as I buried my head into his chest, letting a content growl rumbled in my throat. "I'm glad to see you're doing do well too!"

"Who are you?" Luffy asked, thoroughly confused now.

"It's me! Coby! Don't you remember me?" he answered, and nothing made me happier than when he said it. It was the kid, Coby. He'd grown up so much, and got so much stronger! Jeez, I missed this damn kid.

"…Coby?" Luffy repeated, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Coby? Coby is my friend… But I only the smaller Coby."

'_Idiot! It's our Coby!_' I snapped, and pushed myself up onto Coby's shoulders, draping myself around them, my stomach pressed against his neck, my front feet draped over one shoulder, and my back legs the other. The kid was small, but he managed my weight without complaint, reaching up to pat my head.

"That's me, Coby! I'm Coby, who was once a cry-baby!"

"FOR REAL!" Luffy cried, his eyes popping out.

'_YES!_'

"That Coby!" Zoro gaped. "How did you end up in the Grand Line?"

"I'm not a marine officer yet… But when I heard that you were nearby, I just had to meet you guys!" Coby explained, despite Luffy's shocked face at the news. Coby then saluted Luffy and Zoro, and I smirked proudly. "It's because of you that we've become who we are!"

'_We've?_'

"Well, I'll give that much," the other guy said, and I turned to stare at him confusion. Who was he?

"A lot of things happened and now we are being trained by Vice-Admiral Garp in the headquarters!" Coby said.

"I see! But there should be a limit to how fast you grow up, you know. You surprised me! You were a bit round then too," Luffy chirped in an excited manner.

"We're sorry to disturb you after the incident," Coby said, and Luffy, Zoro and he started to walk towards the building, still carrying me around his shoulder. "You must be tired."

"It's all right!" Luffy said, patting Coby on the back. "It's been a long time, let's have a feast!"

"Hold on a minute, guys! You didn't realize who I am, did you!" the other guy yelled, causing us to turn back to him. I quirked a brow, still confused about it. "It's me!"

"Who?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know you. Who are you?" Luffy questioned.

'_Do you we know him?_'

"The answer…" he started to say, lifting up his glasses, "is Helmeppo! The son of Captain Morgan, Helmeppo. I'm the guy who almost drove you to the death penalty, Roronoa Zoro!" I started snarling the moment I knew who he was, tensing up. Coby lifted up his hand, resting it on my head. The other two still looked blank. "Hey, hey, give me a break! Why is the dog the only one who remembers me! I'm the idiot son who rode my father's coat tails!"

"Ah… Was that you?" Zoro and Luffy said in a bored manner.

'_What are you doing hanging around with our Coby?_' I growled, eyes narrowed at him. I knew who he was now. He'd tried to make me his pet.

"I still can't forgive them, Coby!" Helmeppo whined, crying.

"Can't be helped Helmeppo," Coby replied, still patting the top of my head. "You have to accept your past, too." Coby then took his hand away, turning his attention to Luffy. "Luffy, we're enemies but… Are we still…"

"Yeah, friends," Luffy replied, smirking. A big grin broke out over Coby's face, and he let out a childish sound, causing me to nuzzle my head against his cheek. "See, even Mamori agrees."

"Mamori? That's her name?" Coby asked. "I never imaged she'd still be with you guys either… But she seems to have changed a lot too."

"Yeah, shihihi," Luffy laughed. "She's a lot stronger now."

'_I… I…_' I stuttered, ducking my head in embarrassment.

"Well then, guys," Garp announced, causing all his marines to stand to attention.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Go fix up this wall!"

"EHH! BUT YOU DID THAT YOURSELF!" they protested.

"Why did you break it in the first place if we ended up having to fix it!"

"Because it's cool to enter the scene like that!" Garp defended.

"Don't break things with such a ridiculous reason! We'll fix it, but you'd better help us!"

"EH! ...Okay."

"Sorry Mamori, I'd better help too," Coby said, and I nuzzled him again before neatly jumping off, missing the warmth of his shoulders straight away. Sitting on shoulders was a lot more fun than I'd thought.

'_It's okay_,' I cooed, rubbing my head against his leg before making my way inside with Zoro and Luffy as the marines started to clean up the mess they'd made in the wall. They quickly found some wood, nails and hammers – not surprising consider we were close to the shipyards.

"Your grandpa is pretty famous, isn't he?" Sanji asked as we watched him hammer away at the new wall.

"I don't really know much about his work," Luffy replied.

"By the way, Luffy," Garp turn his attention to grandson. "I heard you met you dad."

"Eh? Dad? What do you mean, dad? I have a dad?" Luffy asked in confusion.

'_Well, that would be the general assumption, Luffy_,' I sweat-dropped.

"Oh, what, he didn't introduce himself?" Garp replied, shoving his pinky up his nose. "I heard he saw you off at Louge Town!"

'_There it is… The relation between Luffy and Garp. They pick their nose the same way_.'

"Louge Town…" Zoro mumbled.

"Luffy's dad was in that town?" Sanji asked.

"What's my dad like?" Luffy questioned.

"I wonder what Luffy's father is like…" Nami said.

"Your father's name is, Monkey D. Dragon, the revolutionary," Garp answered and although the name meant nothing to me, everyone else had faces of shock.

"…Dragon?" Luffy asked.

"EHHHHHH!" all the marines screamed all of a sudden, having a fit.

"D-DRAGON THE REVOLUTIONARY HAS A SON!?"

"LUFFY, IS A SON OF THAT DRAGON!" Coby cried with them.

"THEN… DRAGON IS THE SON OF VICE-ADMIRAL GARP!"

"WHAT'S UP WITH HIS FAMILY!"

_'Who is the hell is Dragon?_' I grunted, my brows furrowing in confusion.

"Hey, why are you all panicking?" Luffy asked the others.

"IDIOT! HAVEN'T YOU HEARD ABOUT THE NAME DRAGON?" Sanji yelled.

"YOUR FATHER IS A REALLY OUTRAGEOUS MAN!" Nami agreed.

'_I DON'T GET IT!_' I protested, glancing around them.

"Hey, Robin," Luffy called.

"How should I explain this…" she mumbled. "Pirates… Don't usually initiate attacks on Governments or marines. However, there's a force that attempts to directly overthrown the World Government. That's the Revolutionary Army. Dragon stands at its head. Propaganda is spread throughout the world, provoking revolutions in many kingdoms, and causing the downfall of many countries. Of course the government got angry… They labeled Dragon, the one pulling the strings, as the "Worst Criminal in the World" and have been looking for him ever since. He was such a mysterious man that no one knew anything about his identity… But…"

"But?" Luffy urged.

"Ah. I probably shouldn't have said all that," Grap said all of a sudden, rubbing his head. "Bwahaha! Never mind about what I just said."

"EHHHHHHH!" all the marines shrieked again.

'_…Yep, he's related to Luffy for sure. They're both messed up_,' I sweat-dropped.

* * *

><p>"You're my grandson! That's why I won't capture you on this island!" Garp declared as Luffy stood before him outside, the wall finally fixed. I had made my way back over to Coby, jumping up on his shoulders again. He didn't seem to mind. "That's how I'll give my report to the marines, so don't worry and stay here as long as you like."<p>

"That's not an excuse…" his second in command mumbled. "Let's just say that they got away."

"Anyways, I'm more of an escort than anything. Take these two and have a good long chat," Garp instructed. "I'm going back."

"Okay, bye," Luffy said casually only to be socked across the face by his grandfather.

"THAT WAS TOO QUICK!" Luffy went flying back into the ground. "CARE MORE, YOU FOOL! I'M YOUR GRANDPA THAT YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IN A WHILE!"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO!" Luffy protested, standing back up and clutching his head. "ALL YOU'VE DONE IT HIT ME!"

"EVEN THEN, I STILL WANT TO BE LOVED BY MY GRANDSON!"

'_Idiots,'_ I mumbled.

* * *

><p>"His Grandpa was like a storm," Sanji pointed out as he placed some tea on the table for Robin and Chopper.<p>

"I was really surprised about Dragon," Robin admitted. "From the heredity, he wasn't just an ordinary man."

"Where's Luffy?" Chopper asked Zoro and I who were sitting on the floor.

"He's talking with Coby and the other guy outside," Zoro said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the window. I let out a grunt in agreement.

"How about you two?" Sanji asked, staring at us. "Aren't you their friends, too?" He suddenly got a jealous look in his eyes. "Mamori, you seem really attached to that pink-haired kid."

'_I am_,' I challenged, grinning impishly.

"It brings back memories… But it was Luffy that saved Coby," Zoro said. I nodded my head in agreement. I couldn't cling to Coby the whole time. Luffy needed a chance to talk to him. It was Luffy that Coby looked up to after all. And that Helmeppo acted like a bad smell, repelling me.

* * *

><p>"EEHHH! Are you really going back already?" Luffy protested as he, Sanji, Chopper and I gathered outside with Coby and Helpmeppo. Zoro was standing inside by the window. "Eat something with us! Food!"<p>

'_You just got here!_' I protested, whining and trying to give him puppy-eyes.

"We are enemies…" Coby protested. "We shouldn't be too friendly with each other. Luffy, do you know what the latter half of this Grand Line is called? People know the last part of the sea that goes beyond the Red Line by the name, the New World."

"The New World," Luffy repeated, excitedly.

"A sea where people who will begin the next generation gather! Whoever conquers this sea will become the Pirate King!" Coby continued. "Luffy, let's meet again over there! I'll capture you next time! I'll be much stronger! ONE DAY, I'LL BECOME A MARINE A-ADMIRAL!" Coby then let out a squeak, stumbling back and falling on his ass, clasping his head between his hands. "S-S-S-S-Sorry! I got carried away! I'm so embarrassed that I wish the Earth would swallow me up! I… I just felt a little big when I finally go to meet you, and–"

"Coby," Luffy interrupted, "you'll fight me, right? Then you gotta be one! Of course!"

"B-But an admiral…"

"The Straw Hats will be stronger when we meet next time," our captain declared. "Much stronger!"

'_You can do it Coby, look how far you've come already_,' I smirked, holding my head up proudly. Coby was going to shake the marines up as much Luffy was going to shake the pirates.

"What? Are you still a crybaby, Coby?" Zoro ask as Coby started to tear up.

"I'm really glad I got to see you three again today!" Coby yelled, bowing to us for a few moments. He then jumped up again, clenching his fists. "We'll be much stronger! So let's meet again in the New World!"

With that said, he turned around ran away. Helmeppo was quick to follow, yelling as he ran, "Be prepared for it, punks! We'll surprise you the next time we meet!"

"…Luffy, did you just create another great enemy?" Zoro questioned, smirking as Coby and Helmeppo started to disappeared on the horizon.

"Coby's a man of his word. I know it. Shihihihi," Luffy laughed.

'_The New World, Coby… We'll see you there_.'

* * *

><p>'<em>These guys and their damn parties…<em>' I growled under my breath, my ears ringing from all the yelling and singing. Somehow the Franky Family, the Galley-La Shipwrights, and more than half the freaking town had showed up at the public pool to party with us. And the noise they were making… I was convinced it could be heard from several island away. The only plus side was that I got to see Sodom and Gomorrah, who were both looking good. They'd both recovered well.

"Oi, why are you sulking over here?" Franky asked as he walked over to my hiding spot. I was resting on the rim of a water fountain that was on a higher level of the pool, as far as I could get away from everyone else whilst still keeping an eye on them all.

'_You_,' I grunted, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

"Here," he said, placing a plate on the ledge in front of me, before leaning back against it, staring at me. The fountain was about as tall as his shoulders, meaning that his face was level with mine. "The curly-eyebrow cook said you hadn't had anything to eat yet. Don't like parties, huh?"

'_That's putting it lightly_,' I huffed to myself, eyeing the plate of kebabs that had been placed in front of me.

"I promise I haven't poisoned it anything," Franky grumbled. "Look, I can tell you don't like me, and I don't blame you. But what happened back on Enies Lobby… You guys helped my men, and I'm grateful for that. Your captain, Straw Hat, and the rest of your group… I've never seen such a strong pirate crew before. Even you, a dog, managed to take down a hell of a lot of marines. You went to all that trouble for one of nakama… I feel bad for taking your money, but I'm grateful that it'll be you guys sailing in the ship I build. We managed to work together against the marines, and this tension is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. So what do you say, should we call this even?"

I stayed silent for a few moments, staring at him, trying to figure out if he was being genuine or not. He looked back at me, waiting to see if I'd do anything. When I didn't, he sighed and pushed off the wall, getting ready to walk off. Before he'd managed to take a step away from the wall, I'd sprung up, reaching out of one of my paws, placing it on his shoulder to stop him. He paused, turning his head back around to stare at me, his eye widening when he saw what I was doing. As I'd sprung up, I'd picked up a kebab with my mouth, grasping the end of stick. I stretched out my head towards him, offering the kebab to him.

"Y-You…" I saw his eyes start to tear up as he held up his hand, letting me place the kebab in it.

I let my eyes drift over to everyone who was partying, a soft look overtaking my face as I saw all the happy faces around us. Franky followed my line of vision. '_I don't like what you did to Usopp – it's not about the money. But you helped us at Enies Lobby. And you have your own family that you love and want to protect. I can respect that. My guys… I love them. All of them. They mean the world to me, and if we have to fight the world to keep one of them safe, we will. I think… I think you're the same. You have the same attitude as us. That I can respect for sure. So yeah… Let's call it even._' Franky may not have been able to hear what I was saying, but I think he got the general idea when we looked at each other again and I tilted my head slightly to the side, flashing him a toothy grin.

"I knew it!" Franky bawled, and I let out a squeak as I found myself pulled off the ledge of the waterfall and into a bone-crushing hug. "You're a good guy after all!"

'_NOW YOU'RE PUSHING IT! GET OFF! LET ME GO BEFORE I KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!_'

* * *

><p><strong>Shichibukai:<strong> Seven Warlords of the Sea.

**Yonko:** The Four Emperors. They are neither allies nor enemies with one another and are seen as the most powerful pirates in the New World.

* * *

><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	58. Monster Child

"How did that happen?" Zoro questioned as we sat around, discussing the article that was published in the newspaper about what had happened at Enies Lobby. There was no mention what so ever about the Franky Family's involvement, nor the three Galley-La shipwrights. "The Franky Family wreaked havoc there."

'_Odd_,' I mumbled. Zoro was sitting the ground, leaning against the pole of one of the bunk beds, the paper spread before him. I was sitting behind him, my chin resting on his shoulder so I could read the article as well. Nami, Chopper and Luffy were sitting around the table, having tea and donuts. Robin was leaning against the wall next to the table, and Sanji was standing in the middle of the room, smoking.

"Is it possible that your grandpa tweaked the info and said they were innocent citizens who got dragged into the mess?" Sanji asked Luffy.

"Nah, he doesn't pay attention to details like that," Luffy said, waving his hand.

"Nope, impossible," Chopper and Nami agreed.

"Either way, that's good news," Sanji commented. "It'd be a pity if they had to spend the rest of their lives on the run."

"Yeah, but they did write some horrible things about us," Zoro said, smirking. "It said that we declared war against the World Government, and that we were the reason that Enies Lobby burned down. This means our bounties will rise again."

_'Hmm… Will I get a bounty this time? I'll have offenses against my name like destructions of world government property, trespassing, breaking and entering, assault, castration of Marine personnel…'_ I snickered.

"Oh, I wonder if I'll have a bounty on my head too!" Chopper gasped.

"That's possible," Sanji commented. "But mine will be the most problematic. They'll say something like, 'A superstar appeared'."

"What are you being so happy about! Are you all idiots!" Nami snapped.

* * *

><p>'<em>What to do now…<em>' I mumbled, trotting around the streets aimlessly. The others had gone to do some shopping. I was a dog, and had no need of any shopping, so I'd decided to go for a walk instead. We had five days to wait for Franky, so we were allowed to rest for a few days.

"PUPPY!" a childish voice screamed, and I let out grunt a when I felt something wrap around my neck. I blinked owlishly, glancing down to a young child hanging off my neck, feet dangling above the ground with a massive grin spread across her face.

_'Who the hell do you belong to?_' I gaped as the girl let out a squeal before giggling, still clinging to my neck.

"Puppy! Puppy! Puppy! Play, puppy!" she chanted.

_'Too… Cute…_' I sweat-dropped, feeling my female motherly instincts coming through. A few people walking past gave us odd looks, and one lady even laughed, covering her mouth with her hands. _'Alright, kiddlet. Off, come on. You'll hurt yourself in a second._' I tried to lower my neck to drop her on the ground, but she refused to let go and clung even tighter.

"PLAY!" she screamed, her face starting to red, tears gathering the corner of her eyes.

_'Ah! No! Don't do that! Don't cry!_' I panicked, trying to nuzzle her. _'I'll play, just don't cry!_'

"Puppy play with me?" she questioned, her face clearing up straight away, her smile popping up again. I felt duped at how quickly her emotions changed. Was she playing me?

_'I'll do whatever, just don't cry_,' I sighed, and suddenly the kid turned into a monkey, grabbing handfuls of my fur roughly, pulling herself up over my head and onto my back. _'Ow, hey, watch it!_' I got a boot in the face, and I could feel my fur being pulled out by the handful as the kid wiggled. '_Holy shit… What am I meant to do? I don't know anything about kids. Like, do you need to feed it? What does it eat? Does it need to be walked? Is it potty trained? Oh, for the love of everything holy, please tell me it's potty trained…_'

"Giddy-up, puppy!" the kid yelled as she finally settled herself on my back, straddling me like a horse. She jabbed her boots into my side. "Giddy-up!"

_'Giddy-up? Are you kidding me? Do I look like a horse to you?_' I complained, refusing to go anywhere.

"Giddy-up!" she called again, reaching forward and grabbing my bandana, pulling on it as if it were a pair of reins.

'_Hey! Gentle!_' I choked. '_I'd better up and find out who this monster belongs too…_' I let out a sigh, slowly lumbering forward, hyper-aware of the happily squealing kid on my back who was kicking my sides.

"This way!" the kid yelled, way too loudly, puling my bandana to the left, trying to get me to go across the bridge and onto another street.

_'Maybe it'll get me to take it back its owners?_' I wondered, turning around to stare at the kid who was grinning like a madman. '_…Can I trust it? Does it have enough intelligence to do that?_'

"Giddy-up!" she yelled, kicking my sides again.

_'I'm not a goddamn horse, I tell ya!_' I snapped, shaking my head before continuing walking again. '_Urgh, I give up. Whatever._'

"This way!" she said, leading me around whilst kicking and pulling my bandana. I walked along the streets, drawing weird looks from people walking past. Not that I was surprised. They all seemed to know I was the Straw Hat's dog, and here I was, acting like a pony to a little a girl.

"Good puppy!" the girl yelled, giggling loudly. I couldn't bite back a slight smirk at the sound of her laughter – something about it just made me happy. It reminded me of my little brother. I missed be able to play around with him.

_'Now what kid?'_ I asked, still lumbering placidly around the streets with the little monster stuck to my back. _'We can't do this all day._'

"Play, play, play!" she cheered, steering me around a corner and I gaped at the scene before me. She's taken me to a playground. Little, controlling, conniving shit.

_'You little…_' I grumbled half heartedly as she scrambled off my back, running towards a slide. A few other kids were there, and they gaped when they say me, sparkles growing in their eyes. _'Hang on… Don't even…_'

"PUPPY!" one of them screamed really loudly, jumping out of a sand pit and tearing towards me. A whole pack of them stumbled and ran towards me, all different ages.

_'Please spare me!_' I begged, closing my eyes and flinching when I felt the leeches latching onto me all over. Screaming and giggling echoed in my ears, my nose, ears and tail being grabbed and pulled by so many hands as the kids swarmed around me like a bunch of piranhas.

"Come on kids, be gentle to the poor dog," a kind voice said, and suddenly all kids paused, the sound dying off. "You'll hurt her if you play too rough. Come on now, give her some room."

"But Gramps!" one of the older kids protested.

"No buts, go on. Go back to playing."

Slowly the kids let go, one by one, stepping back and giving me room to breathe. They wandered off, quickly distracted by other things. _'Ah, thank you,_' I gasped, glancing up to an old man with benevolent eyes. He had white hair, crinkles around his eyes and a friendly look on his face. I instantly had a good feeling about him, my tail wagging.

"Sorry about them, they're bit excitable at times," he laughed. "You're the dog that is with the Straw Hats, right?"

'_Yeah_,' I grunted, nodding my head.

"It seems you brought Eleskria back, thanks for that. She has a bad habit of wandering off and getting herself into trouble. She's a good kid though," he said, glancing over to the little girl who'd led me here. She was now kneeling in the sand pit, busily building a sand castle with another little boy that looked just a bit older than her. "I'm meant to be watching them while the back streets get fixed up. Their parents are busy working, and I wouldn't be much help, so I'm supervising this bunch."

_'Ah, it's no problem,_' I replied, blinking owlishly at the old man. I flashed him a grin to get my point across.

"Puppy! Come play! Please!" Eleskria begged, and I looked at her, and then the old man.

"You don't have too, I'm sure you have things to do…" he said to me, uncertain.

"Please," the little girl begged, her eyes tearing up.

'_…Oh, I give up. Just for a short while_,' I snorted, flashing the old man another smile before trotting over to the sand pit and jumping into it with a bunch of the brats.

"Puppy!" they cheered, and I found a bucket shoved in my face. I picked it up, holding onto the handle between my teeth as the kids started to grab handfuls of the sand, filling the bucket. When it was full, one of the older kids took it off of me, and dumped onto a mound of sand gathered in the centre of the pit. The younger kids were patting down the sand, trying to make a castle out of it.

"It needs a moat!" one of them pointed out, and quickly there were many hands digging out a moat around the mound of sand. I wandered forward, sitting next to Eleskria, using one of my paws to gently dig out some of the sand. The little girl gave me a beaming smile in response that melted my heart.

"We need something on the top of it," one of them said, when the moat was finish, and they all looked around, coming up blank. I glanced around as well, and saw nothing that could have help. And then I remember what exactly would look great on the top. I hesitated before pulling the rose out of my bandana, gently laying it on the top of the castle. The thing was lucky and never died, it'd be better off with these kids. I couldn't cart it around all the time.

"Bo… Be…" Eleskria mumbled, trying to pronounce the word. "Bootifil!"

"It's done!" the kids grinned proudly at each other, glee on their faces.

"More play, puppy!"

'_…Help me._'

* * *

><p><em>'Hold on<em>,' I cautioned, gripping the shirt of the kid sitting in front of me. I pushed off, sliding down the slide, holding onto the kid and landing neatly at the bottom.

"Me next, me next!" another kid called as I let go of the brat, smirking and jumping back up to the top platform of the slide. The kid quickly scrambled up the ladder, sitting down at the top of the slide. I chuckled mentally and grabbed him too, pushing off and sliding down the slide on my paws. The kid screamed and then burst into laughter when we reached the bottom.

"Me next!"

"No, me next!

"Me, me, me!"

"One at a time, children. You'll all get a go," the old man called.

* * *

><p>"One, two, three, out!" two twins girls said at the same time as they spun the skipping rope. The boy that was jumping scrambled out of the slide, letting the next child jump in.<p>

"One, two, three, out!" the next kid jumped out, running back to the end of the time. It was my time now, and I ran up, jumping in the rope and skipping neatly over it every time it swung past my heels. I could hear gales of laughter around me, the kids impressed at a dog being able to jump a rope.

"One, two, three, out!"

* * *

><p>"Here!"<p>

"I'm here!"

"You can't catch me!"

_'Rawr, I'll eat you when I get my paws on you,_' I laughed, trotting around and purposely missing the kids every time I tried to jab one with my nose. I had a scarf tied around my eyes, so I couldn't see what they were all doing and where they were. I could have easily tagged one of them, but where would the fun in that be?

"Can't get me! Haha!" I jumped towards the kid who'd called that out, getting a shriek in reply as the kid scrambled out of my road.

* * *

><p><em>'No more. Mercy,<em>' I begged, beyond tired as I collapsed at the feet on the old man who was sitting on a bench, watching the kids. The little bundles of energy were still going, showing no signs that they were going to stop any time soon.

"Haha, they really like you," he laughed, grinning down at me.

_'I'd noticed_.' I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't worry, their parents should be coming soon to get them. I dare say they'll all go home and sleep through the night," he said. "Thank you for that."

_'No problem… I think_,' I mumbled tiredly.

"Do you have to go soon?" he asked, and I shook my head. I'd wait here until all the kids got picked up and taken home. At least I could sleep in peace tonight then. The old man smirked. "You're pretty interesting for a pirate's dog."

_'So I get told a lot_,' I snorted.

* * *

><p>"Bye puppy! Bye gramps!" Eleskria called, waving to me with the rose in her hair as her mother lead her away. I smiled and watched her go, partly sad and partly glad. That little shit had run me around all day, but she was still cute.<p>

"Well, that's the last of them," the old man said, glancing up to the setting sun. "You'll be on your way then?"

I nodded. _'Mhmm._'

"If you get time before you leave, come back and play again? I'm sure the kids would love to see you." He reached down and patted the top of my head, ruffling the fur.

_'I'll see how things go._'

* * *

><p>"Eh? Usopp will come back!"<p>

"Yeah," Sanji confirmed, taking a drag is his cigarette. "He was rehearsing at the beach."

"For real?" Luffy gasped. "Wow! Good to know! Let's go fetch him immediately! Woo hoo! Usopp's coming back!" Luffy started running towards the door, Chopper and Nami following him. I stayed where I was, looking up at Zoro who was standing next to me.

"WAIT UP, GUYS!" he snapped. "I won't let anyone go fetch him."

"Eeeeh! Why!"

"No matter what, you shouldn't take a modest approach. I will not approve of him until he apologizes," Zoro declared, crossing his arms his chest. I sighed sadly, dropping my eyes.

_'I have to agree… I'm sorry,'_ I whimpered.

"ZORO! MAMORI!" Chopper ragged.

"Hey, why are you saying such things!" Nami protested.

"Shut up!" he snapped.

'_Oi_,' I warned, growling at him. There was no need to talk to Nami like that.

"Whatever the thoughts that were in Luffy and Usopp's argument, and no matter who was correct, as long as the two decided to fight, the outcome was entrusted to the match. In the end, he lost and left us." Zoro walked over to a silent Luffy, tapping his head with his sword. "Listen, guys. Even thought he's such an idiot, he is our captain. It's better not to have someone who cannot pay due respect to him when there's something in out crew." Zoro grabbed Luffy's cheek, stretching it out to prove a point. "A crew whose captain who has lost his dignity will surely collapse!" At this point, he pulled Luffy around to face him. "It's none of my business that you usually joke around, but if you humiliate yourself yet still claim any pretence of being my leader, then I will be the one to leave the crew this time!"

"Ehh! Then we'll never come together!" Nami protested as Zoro let go of Luffy and placed himself in front of the door.

"I agree that it'd be for the best if that fool decided to come back," Zoro said. "But I will never let him back in if he has no intention of excusing himself and tried to sweep this under the rug!"

_'I agree. I love Usopp, but a lack of respect can cause major problems later on. If one person can get away with disrespecting the captain, then more will try. I won't sit back and watch everything fall out under out feet. There is a point where we need to draw a line, and this is it,_' I sighed, slowly standing up to my feet and making my over to Zoro. I got his view on all of this. He wanted Usopp back, but he wouldn't let him back until he'd apologized, which was fair enough. _'Chopper, can you translate that, please?'_

"I-I…" Chopper swallowed nervously. I approached Zoro, looking up so that my eyes met his. He looked down at me, and I inclined my head slightly, reading his body language for a sign that I was allowed to take up position next to him. A slight nod of his head was all it took, and I sat neatly next to him, my eyes staring sadly, yet defiantly back at Luffy, Chopper, and Nami. "Mamori said… _'I agree. I love Usopp, but a lack of respect can cause major problems later on. If one person can get away with disrespecting the captain, then more will try. I won't sit back and watch everything fall out under out feet. There is a point where we need to draw a line, and this is it_'."

"Wait, Zoro, Mamori, I know it was his fault, but we can complain about him as much as we want after he comes back–" Nami started to say.

"IS LEAVING THIS CREW SUCH A SIMPLE THING!" Zoro demanded, pulling out one of his swords and slamming it into the ground on the side I wasn't sitting on. I didn't flinch, only twitching my ears slightly at the sound. I didn't take my eyes off of our captain.

"No…. But…" Nami stammered.

"Nami, unfortunately he's got it right this time," Sanji agreed.

"In the future there's no way we can trust a guy who does such a thing on a whim!" Zoro said. "Simply put, if the first thing Usopp says is his deepest apology, then it's all right for him to come back. If it's not, then he has no place to return here. We aren't playing pirates like kids here!" Zoro put his sword back in its sheath. "Are we clear?"

"We parted out ways once. There are still several days until the ship is competed and we sail out," Luffy conceded.

* * *

><p>"The log pose is ready!" Nami, who was chilling at the table with Kokoro, announced. "The log pose is already pointing to the next island!"<p>

"Then all we need is the ship to set sail! I can hardly wait!" Luffy said, doing one-handed handstands on the edge of a bed.

"Yeah," Nami agreed. "He said he wanted to surprise us, so we shouldn't come by until it's ready."

"So you know where the log is leading you to?" Kokoro asked.

"No," she replied. "Where? It's pointing a little bit downwards…"

"Ngagaga, of course the next island is Fishman Island, the Paradise Beneath the Sea!"

"Ehhh! Fi-Fi-Fi-Fishman Island! Finally!" Sanji yelled, his eyes turning into heart, steam coming out of his nose.

"Wha! What's going on, Sanji!" Chopper panicked.

"Fishman Island…" Nami sighed. "I've got mixed feelings."

"Yeah. After everything that happened in your village…" Luffy said, jumping off the bed and wandering over to her.

"But back them, those fishmen were pirates, right?" Zoro asked.

'_Hmm…_' I mumbled, thinking about it. Maybe the rest were not as bad.

"That's right. You know it pretty well, you shitty bastard!" Sanji cooed, spinning around and doing his happy dance. "Fishman Island is a famous spot in the Grand Line. Beautiful mermaids draw arcs above the water and play with fish in the dream kingdom." Sanji then froze, turning around and glancing at Kokoro. He fell to his knees and started slamming his fist against the ground, crying. "Can't I at least dream about it! I'm a pirate, dammit!"

"They have young mermaids too!" Kokoro snapped. "But, it's not that easy to get to the paradise."

"I'm curious about the 'beneath the sea' part," Robin said.

"That… You'll get it when you get there. That's not the problem. Look at the front page of the newspaper."

"What's this?" Nami asked, picking up the paper and looking at it. "'14 ships disappeared this month again.' What does it mean?"

"Florian Triangle," the drunken old bag answered. "It's an area that you have to go through to get to the paradise. More than 100 ships each year are reported missing on that sea. Later on, people also come across ships without the crew. And, there are even constant sightings of ghost ships that carry the dead on board."

"THERE ARE GHOST? SCARY!" Chopper panicked.

"I can meet living skeletons!" Luffy exclaimed, excited.

"What kind of thought is that?" Zoro sweat-dropped.

_'One that our captain would have,_' I said, rolling my eyes.

"No! I'd never want to meet them! I don't even want to see them!" Nami gasped, shivering. "Not such creepy ships! What happens on that sea!

"Ngagaga, who knows?" Kokoro said, a creepy look on her face. "If something happens to you, you won't come back alive. A dark sea with a thick fog… Be warned. Either way, it's a dangerous sea where many accidents have happened. Just be prepared."

"Merchant and pirate ships coming back as ghost ships… The legends of the 'Treasure Ship' always revolve around them," Robin pointed out.

"Let's go find the ghost ship!" Nami announced all of a sudden, her eyes turning into beli signs.

"Leave it to me!" Luffy cheered.

"EHH! NO!" Chopper protested.

"Bring on the disasters. We'll have plenty of food on board, so we should be fine," Sanji said.

"Treasure ships… Maybe they'll have swords…" Zoro mumbled, thinking about the one sword he'd lost when he had to fight a marine with the ability to rust swords. Now Zoro was down to two working swords.

"PIRATE BROS!" Chimney called as the doors were thrown open, and Chimney, Gonbe and the twins fell to their knees in the doorway, panting.

"Franky bro asked all of you come!" one started to say.

"The dream ship is done!" the other finished.

"It's a really great one!" Chimney chirped.

"EHH! IT'S DONE ALREADY!" Luffy gaped. "THAT'S MUCH FASTER THAN PLANNED!"

"Five top-notch shipwrights spent days and nights to build it!"

"All right! Let's go!" Sanji cheered.

"STRAW HAT!" a group of loud voices yelled, and we all looked at each other before wandering outside to meet the Franky Family who were running through the gates to our place. "STRAW HAT!"

"Franky Family," Luffy greeted.

"What's going on, guys?"

"You're all out of breath."

They all skidded to a stop before us, hand on knees, panting. Zanbai feel to his knees before us, gasping to breath. "I… I have a favour to ask of you! Did you see the wanted posters!"

"Wanted posters?" Luffy asked.

"You… You have an outrageous bounty on your head, Straw Hat! The others too… You've all got a bounty on your head!"

"Me too?" Sanji questioned, excited.

"Me too?" Nami gasped, not looking pleased at all.

"Me too?" Chopper gaped, looking as excited as Sanji.

'_I wonder…_'

"Here… See for yourself!" he threw the bounty posters on the ground before us. "All eight of you got a bounty!"

The reactions to the posters were mixed; Zoro and Luffy seemed happy to get an increased bounty; Nami was horrified at the idea of being wanted; Sanji was beyond horrified at his bounty picture; Chopper and I were both utterly dejected at our sorry excuses for a bounty.

'_…ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!_' I raged as I stared at my poster. There was a picture of my face, my lips pulled back in a snarl, blood coating my muzzle. My eyes had a wild look in them, focusing on something out of the range of the picture – probably meaning I was about ice some poor bastard. The title was ""Feral Dog" (pet) Mamori". And the bounty was… _'THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE! 500 BELI? I'M ONLY WORTH 500 BELI!_'

"Well, I can feel ya… And I know you've got lots to say, but wait!" Zanbai protested, pulling out another wanted poster. "Our request is in regard to this. Look at this."

"Franky!" Luffy exclaimed as he looked at the wanted poster for the cyborg.

"That's right! We got off somehow, but bro didn't make it… Bro's life will be at stake if he stays in Water 7! If he's caught again, there's no way we'll be able to save him ourselves!" Zanbai explained. "I'm sure bro will be worried about us and won't want to leave the island… So we've all agreed… Straw Hat, please! Use force if necessary! Please take him out to sea! He's a son of a pirate after all!"

* * *

><p>"Guys, you're prepared to deal with this matter about Usopp, right?" Zoro asked, and everyone picked up their bags and got ready to leave the room for the last time. "Remember that is how it should be done."<p>

"…Okay."

"Hey, how much longer are you gonna stay depressed? It's pretty good to get a bounty that high for the first time, you know," Luffy said, talking to Sanji who was sulking over his picture.

"SHUT UP!" Sanji snapped, pointing to his picture. "WHY IS MY PICTURE THE ONLY HAND DRAWN ONE! TELL ME, WHICH PART OF THIS IS ME!"

"That picture looks just like you," Zoro said.

Sanji rounded on him, making a sound that was not human. "Δ ✕~ ◐❅ ≊✱~✖✹"

"Speak up, I don't understand what you're saying."

"I'll be a laughing stock of all the ladies out there…" Sanji dropped to the ground.

"I was tricked… He said he's a reporter from the town's magazine. I look cute in it, so I guess that's fine, but… Now I have a bounty on my head too," Nami moped.

"I'm a pirate as well! I fought like a brave man! I'm not satisfied with this amount! 50 beri!" Chopper cried.

_'THIS PIECE OF ASS IS WORTH THAN MORE THAN 500 BERI!_' I snapped, slapping my paw against the ground.

"Well, better luck next time, you two," Luffy laughed.

_'How the hell does one increase their bounty! Who the hell's head do I have to take! Mass genocide? Would that work? World domination? No! I've got it! I have to castrate a Marine Admiral… Yeah! I gotta do that_!' I planned, an evil smirk slipping on my face.

"Would that really work!" Chopper gaped, looking at me with teary eyes.

'_…Uhh._'

"Don't forget anything. We'll get the ship and Franky, and then we'll set sail."

* * *

><p>"Bro!"<p>

"They're here!" the twins announced as they led us down to the seaside where Franky and the shipwrights had been working on our new ship. The area was covered in bits and pieces of old boats and junk. On the ground around the place was Paulie, the two brother shipwrights that had come with us to Enies Lobby, the Frog, and Iceberg, all seemingly asleep.

"Wow! There's something huge over there!" Luffy called out when he noticed something huge by the waterside, covered in a large blanket so that we couldn't see what it was. "Is that it? HEY! WE'RE HERE! FRANKY! GIVE US THE SHIP!"

_'HAVE SOME DAMN MANNERS!_' I snapped as Luffy, Chopper and Sanji ran down to the side of the ship. Nami, Zoro and I followed at a more sedate pace. Iceberg woke up, and stood next to the blanketed ship.

"Uncle Ice!" Luffy greeted.

"Welcome," he replied. "Unfortunately Franky's not around but the ship is ready. Allow me to show you the ship instead. The ship is amazing. I stood there in astonishment when I saw the blueprints. It will be able to cross any kind of sea. With this ship, you can even go to the end of the world. Franky left you a message Straw Hat."

"Just show me already!" Luffy protested.

Iceberg smirked, grabbing the sheet and pulling it off as he said, ""If you will be the Pirate King one day, then set sail with the King of Beasts!""

"IT'S HUGE! AND BEYOND AMAZING!" Luffy called, sparkles in his eyes. "Look like a lot of stuff is gonna come out of it!"

"HE'S GIVING US THIS?" Chopper gasped.

"Ha, it's twice as big as Merry" Zoro said, smirking.

'_…I like it. He didn't do a half bad job,_' I said, tilting my head to the side and smiling at the ship before us. It was amazing. The large ship looked like something out of a dream. Compared to our Merry, the new ship was a lot bigger, and had a lot of different additions. And at the front was a lion head, looking almost proud.

"It has a big gaff sail!" Nami grinned. "Is it a sloop?"

"Show me the kitchen!" Sanji called. "Kitchen!"

"It's a fabulous ship," Robin commented. "I wonder what kind of big flower he used for the figurehead."

"I think it's a lion, not a flower," Iceberg replied.

It didn't take long for everyone to jump on board and start exploring the new ship. The first thing Luffy did was drop to the ground and start rolling across the lawn that was on the main deck. "It's a lawned deck."

'_…Amazing_,' I gaped, the grass tickling the paws as I trod lightly across it. There were even a few trees and a swing on the main deck. 'This'll be so much fun to sleep on!'

"There's a slide!" Chopper called out, sliding down it.

"It seems like we can do some gardening here," Robin pointed out.

"A fridge with a lock that I've been dreaming off!" Sanji yelled from the kitchen. "And a huge oven too! Franky, thanks! This ship is the best!"

"Hey, Uncle Ice," Luffy called, running up to the railing and hanging off of it so that he could look over at Iceberg. I ran over to him, jumping up on the railing beside him. "Where's Franky? I want to thank him!"

"It seems that he has no intention to see you guys anymore," Iceberg replied. "Are you trying to recruit him as a shipwright, Straw Hat?" Iceberg asked.

"Yup! How did you know?" Luffy asked. "I've decided to have him as a shipwright!"

"He probably noticed that," Iceberg answered.

"You mean he wouldn't want to?" Luffy questioned, and I frowned.

'_…He doesn't want to leave his family. You wouldn't either if you were in his position_,' I sighed.

"Quite the opposite," Iceberg said. "He's not confident enough to reject such an offer when he is asked face to face. That's why he's hiding himself. In his mind, I'm sure he wants to go out to sea with you guys. He's entrusting his Dream Ship that he treasured so much to you, so it should be obvious. Franky really likes being with you guys. But he believes that he has a duty to stay on this island forever."

"A duty?"

"Nothing more than a silly tenacity, if you ask me," Iceberg sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "If you really intend to bring him along, don't choose your means. Just take him by force. That's the only way to set him free."

"By force?" Luffy gaped. "Can we?"

_'…I think you need to reword that. You sound like you're going to violate him or something._' I sweat-dropped.

* * *

><p>"KYAAH!" LOOK AT THE PERVERT!"<p>

"WHAT IS THAT!"

'_…Never mind, no rewording needed_,' I gaped, as the cyborg who had his head buried in a pile of junk, his naked ass up in the air. There was a crowded gathered on the next level, gaping and gasping at the view that Franky was showing.

"B-Bro!" the twins cried.

"Look at this…" Iceberg mumbled.

"AHH!" Franky yelled, busting out of the junk.

"FRANKY!" Luffy called out next to me, holding up the pair of pants – if you could call the slip of material by that name – up in the air. Franky spun around to face us and I reeled back, turning my head away.

'_I DON'T NEED TO SEE THAT!_' I howled, embarrassment flooding my systems.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SHIP!" Luffy yelled. "IT'S THE GREATEST! WE'LL TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!"

"Yeah, I wish you all a safe journey with the ship," Franky replied.

"IF YOU WANT THESE BACK, THEN BE OUR NAKAMA!"

"Put your pants on!" the crowd yelled.

"Pervert!"

"You wrecked the town again!"

"Get lost, pervert!"

"Give me back my pants, Straw Hat," Franky demanded.

"Then be our nakama," Luffy answered.

"Don't be silly!" Franky snapped. "Don't assume you can make me your nakama just by taking my pants!" He then posed proudly, showing everything off with no signs of shame what so ever.

"KYAAAAA!"

"HE MADE HIS USUAL POSE WITHOUT ANYTHING COVERING HIS LOWER HALF!"

"HORRIBLE! HE'S HORRIBLE!"

"H-HE'S A MAN OF MEN!" Luffy gasped, awed at the display.

"HE'S JUST THE BIGGEST PERVERT EVER!" Nami snapped, smacking Luffy over the back of his head.

_'Oh gods, my eyes!_' I wailed, bringing one of my paws up to try and cover my eyes.

"If I'm allowed to be a little violent, I can help you out," Robin offered.

"Now that you mention it, Uncle Ice also said he won't come if we don't use force," Luffy mumbled.

Robin smirked as everyone looked at her. "Our little dog friend gave me this idea," Robin said, crossing her arms over her chest. I blinked owlishly, pulling my paw away from my face. "Dos Fleur." Arms grew out of Franky's thighs, and he looked down blankly for a few seconds. "Grab."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Franky screamed in agony as the hands clamped down on his pride and joy.

_'No way… Robin!'_ I laughed hysterically.

"EEH! HEY, ROBIN!" Nami protested.

"SHE GRABBED THEM!" Luffy cried, his eyes popping out of his head.

"THEY'LL BE SMASHED, ROBIN!" Chopper yelled.

"AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!" Franky screamed in pain, doing an odd little dance.

"THEY'LL COME OFF!" one of the twins screamed.

"JUST LIKE ORANGES!" the other finished.

"HEY, ROBIN!" Luffy panicked. "I WANT HIM TO BE A MAN WHEN HE JOINS US! DON'T MAKE THEM COME OFF, OKAY?"

"IT HURTS JUST LOOKING AT IT!" Chopper wailed.

_'HAHAH! OH MY GODS! ROBIN, I LOVE YOU!_' I laughed.

"What's going on! Franky's getting hurt!" the crowd pitched in again.

"What is that sad painful chicken-like scream?"

"He's kind of pitiful, even though he's a pervert."

"If you ask a group of pirates to back off in front of a treasure, then you'd better have a good explanation, otherwise there' no way they'll back off," Robin said calmly.

"AHH!" Franky shrieked, flopping to the ground and wriggling around. "I… I said I want to stay on this island! I… I'm really thankful to you guys. More than I can ever imagine. I want to go with you guys… But I have stuff to take care of here! That's why I gave you guys a ship! First of all, I quit being a shipwright already! So that ship would be the last ship that I'd ever make! It was my wish… That is the dream ship!"

"Wait, Franky," Iceberg said, stepping forward as Franky rolled around on the ground. "That ship hasn't become your so called "Dream Ship" yet."

"I changed my mind on what I want to do!" Franky said, struggling back up to his feet.

"What you want to do? No, that's not right. Whatever you are doing on this island now is all just atonement," Iceberg challenged him. "You are still regretting and blaming yourself for Tom being taken on that day. But Tom already forgave you on that day, and directed you to the new road. You brought those punks in the backstreet together. You called yourself a bounty hunter and protected this island from looters. Everything was done to protect this city that Tom loved as atonement. Thought probably no one looked at it that way."

"Of course not… That was never my intention," Franky panted.

"You quit shipbuilding and subdued your will to live… Is that what you're going to do forever?" he asked. "Even if Tom forgives you and I forgive you, probably nothing will change. Why don't you forgive yourself, Franky? You can live your own dream, right?"

"OWWW!" Franky howled, tears pouring out of his eyes, and then something crashed into the ground right in front of him. "WHAT? A BAG?"

"It's luggage for your journey, bro!" the Franky Family called.

"You guys…"

"Bro! Please forgive us! For everything! We're really sorry! We're ready to accept any punishment! We're idiots, so we used out brains to fullest and thought of this!"

"What did you think about with the brains you don't have!" Franky snapped. "A way to take my pants away from me, huh! Or a way to make me a pirate! Don't butt in! It's my life! I decide everything on my own! How can I, a boss, happily walk the path that my men prepared? Shameful! What nonsense! Don't even bother to use that brains you don't have!"

"We're really sorry!" Zambai replied. "But can't we just think a bit about some who adopted us racketeers? CAN'T WE THINK ABOUT YOUR HAPPINESS!"

"OUCH! OWWWW! AHHH!" Franky wailed, flopping back to the ground and rolling around whilst crying and bawling. "You guys… OWWW!"

"Hey, Robin! Adjust your power, please! He'll become a woman!" Luffy begged.

"HE'S CRYING!" Chopper yelled.

"THEY'LL COME OFF!"

"JUST LIKE GRAPES!"

"NICO ROBIN, YOU BITCH! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! IT HURTS SO MUCH THAT I CAN'T STOP CRYING! OWWW!"

'_Look closer,_' I sweat-dropped, politely avoiding my eyes. Robin just smiled, lowering her arms and leaning back against the railing.

"Hmm? You aren't doing anything?" Luffy realized.

"Fufu, I was only doing it in the beginning," she replied. "He's sneaky… Blaming the pain for his tears."

"SHIT! OWW! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! I CAN'T STOP CRYING!"

"BRO! ARE YOU OKAY?"

"Of course not," he cried.

"BRO!"

"BROOO!"

"BRO!"

"Can you even survive without me?" Franky cried, sitting up.

"We'll do our best to put our power together and succeed the hidden face of Water 7! Even though you're going far away, we'll always be your men!" Zambai replied.

"Leave it to us!"

"Bro, don't cry!"

"Broo!"

"LUFFY!" both Zoro and Sanji yelled as they appeared in the crowd, jumping down to the level of the junk yard, running towards us.

"Zoro, Sanji," Luffy said.

_'What's wrong?_' I asked, frowning and tensing up.

"The situation is getting worse!" Sanji called as he ran to the boat.

"Your Grandpa's coming back, Luffy! They already took the offensive in the coasts over there and are looking for us!" Zoro explained.

"EH! WHY?" Luffy gaped. "I thought we wouldn't get caught here!"

"How would we know! Prepare to set sail," Sanji replied, running past Franky. "Whoa, Franky! You haven't gotten your pants back yet?"

"Ah. Here you go!" Luffy said, throwing Franky back his pants. "Now get on my ship, Franky!"

"None of your cheek! You're armatures who can only do poor touch-up jobs," Franky smirked. "I'd pity this excellent ship if it didn't have a shipwright. All right, I'll take care of it! I, Franky, will be the shipwright for your ship!"

"WOOOH! OUR NEW NAKAMA!" Luffy and Chopper cheered as Zoro and Sanji climbed into the boat.

"Bro…" the twins said, covering their mouths, tears pouring from their eyes.

Franky started walking forward, picking up his bag as he made his way to our ship. All of the Franky family were bawling, and there were tears streaming from Franky's eyes too as he announced, "I'M GOING AWAY FOR A WHILE!"

_'PUT YOUR GODDAMN PANTS ON ALREADY!_'

* * *

><p>"Set sail," Luffy ordered, reclining back against one of the seats on our new ship's deck. He had a smile on his face, but I could see straight through it.<p>

"Hey, Luffy!" Nami protested.

"Luffy…" Chopper mumbled, tearing up.

"Are you sure, Straw Hat?" Franky question. "Don't you have to wait for one more person?"

"I was waiting for him. Ever since Sanji told us the story, I waited for him in that room at Galley-La so someone could welcome him, but he never showed up," Luffy laughed hollowly. "This is his answer. I'm sure he… Will have fun too. I don't think he'll quit being a pirate, so hopefully we'll see him on the sea sometime."

Everyone stared silently at him for a few moments before something exploded in the water right next to out ship, throwing us off balance. Everyone quickly ran over to the railing and Franky swore.

"Crap! They've found us! It's the marines!"

_'NOW OF ALL TIMES_.' I hissed, already in a foul mood. This was just adding to it.

"Grandpa!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Hey, Luffy! Can you hear me? This is your grandpa!" A voice called over a speaker, as Garp's warship approached us. On the figurehead of the ship was none other than Garp himself.

"Hey, Grandpa! What's going on!" Luffy demanded. "You told us that you wouldn't arrest us here!"

"Yeah, things happened," Garp replied. "So I'm sorry to say, but I'll have to ask you to just drown and die!"

'_WHAT SORT OF MESSED UP FAMILY DO YOU HAVE!'_

"EEEHHHH!"

"It's not like I can make up for it, but I'll kill you guys by myself," Garp said, taking a cannonball off of one of his marines.

"What's he gonna do?" Sanji gaped.

"Genkotsu Meteor*!" Garp yelled, launching the cannonball at us with just the power of his throw alone. It was ten times more powerful and faster than a normal cannonball, crashing into the shore right behind us.

"HE THREW THE CANNONBALL WITH HIS BARE HANDS!" Sanji gaped, shock written on his face.

"It flew much faster than a regular cannonball would, too. Does he know it's not a baseball!" Zoro hissed, his hands on the hilts of his swords.

"Bwahaha! I wish I didn't get old," Garp laughed. "My power is declining lately!"

"Can't be helped! We have to run away or our new ship will get wrecked!" Nami ordered from the higher deck.

"Bring 1000 cannonballs!" Garp ordered his marines as he took off his coat.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Not good! We're gonna get more of those cannonballs!" Franky called out.

"Shall we begin, kids?" Garp smirked, cracking his knuckles.

"Advance the ship at full speed! We'll smash the cannonballs!" Luffy ordered.

"HE'S HERE! USOPP IS HERE!" Chopper called excitedly.

"Wait! What are you guys doing? Hey, I'm still coming!" Usopp called, running along the broken staircase, and jumping into the air. I watched, cautiously out of the corner of my eyes, keeping most of my attention on Garp. "What's going on? Even after our quarrel, we fought together! I'm Sogeking! Did you give up on me because I disappeared? Hey, guys! Don't worry! I'm back!"

"Here you go! More, more, more! Bwahaha!" Garp laughed as he fired cannon ball after cannonball at the ship. Sanji, Luffy, Zoro, Franky and I were forced to defend our new ship from damaged. I launched myself off the side of the ship, headbutting one of the cannonballs back into the sea. It was thrown too hard for me to be able to send it back at Garp's ship.

"Usopp's here, Luffy! Usopp's here!" Chopper called.

"Protect the ship!"

"Heeey! Rejoice! It's me! Chopper! It's good weather today!" Usopp called, running towards the shore. "Let's go fishing! But it's not time for that, huh? By the way, I have good news for you guys! Don't be surprised, when I'm back, I won't mind being a vice-captain for you! Hey! Luffy! Guys! You! Don't tell me it's about what I said that time! We've known each other forever you know! I would never day suck a thing seriously! We've had lots of arguments, but we are nakama! I'll let some stuff slide! Hey, say something! Cut it out, guys!"

"Luffy! Usopp's calling you!" Chopper snapped as Luffy kicked a cannonball violently away.

"I don't hear anything," Luffy replied.

"Zoro!" Chopper called.

"I didn't hear anything," Zoro hissed, slicing another incoming cannonball.

"Mamori!" Chopper begged, and I flinched mentally, spinning around and using my back feet to kick away a cannonball.

_'I don't know what you're talking about,_' I replied, refusing to meet Chopper's eyes.

"Liars! You heard him!" Franky said.

"Stop joking around! What? Are you really going to leave me? I see… I've had enough! If that's how it is… Just let me say one last thing…" Usopp fell to his knees by the shoreline. "I'M SORRRRRRRRRRY! I'M SORRY FOR BEING STUBBORN! I WAS WRONG!"

Everyone seemed to freeze up, even my eyes flickered back to the shoreline to see a bawling and bowing Usopp. I didn't let it distract me for too long, jumping up and using my front paws to slam a cannonball back into the ocean.

"I KNOW IT'S SHAMEFUL AND I KNOW I SAID I LEFT THE CREW! CAN I… CAN I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID!? CAN I PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE LET ME STAY WITH YOU GUYS! PLEASE! PLEASE MAKE ME YOUR NAKAMA ONE MORE TIME!"

Luffy threw out his hand to Usopp, stretching it across the sea. Tears were pouring out of his eyes as he sobbed, "IDIOT! HURRY AND GRAB MY HAND!"

"You're the idiot!" Zoro smirked as everyone cheered.

"Ahaha," Nami laughed, rubbing her eyes. "You guys look so lame!"

Usopp went flying towards the ship, smacking into Luffy and throwing them both to the ground.

"Finally! Everyone's together! Let's just get away from this bombardment and head for adventure, guys!" Luffy yelled, jumping back up to his feet.

"Hurry! Take in the sails!" Franky called.

"Hey, you sure, Franky!" Zoro called as he quickly jumped into action to take the sails up.

"Stupid bastard! Trust in this ship!" Franky called, pumping his fist in the air.

"That's right! Trust it, stupid bastard!" Luffy agreed, linking arms with Usopp and Chopper as they danced around.

"You bastard, stupid bastard!" Usopp joined in.

"You bastard!" Chopper agreed.

"HELP OUT, GUYS!" Zoro snapped.

_'Good to see things are back to normal quickly,_' I sweat-dropped.

"Usopp, until a second ago you were…" Nami mumbled. "…Oh well."

_'DAMMIT, OLD MAN, HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS CAN YOU THROW!_' I snapped, rebounding another cannonball off my head. While the rest of the guys messed around, Sanji and I were left to defend the ship by ourselves.

"Franky, we furled up the sails like you said. Hurry up or the warship will catch up with us," Zoro said.

"Not yet. We haven't named the ship yet," Franky replied.

"The ship's name! At a time like this!" Sanji snapped.

"That's right! A ship without a name won't be any good at sailing," Franky said.

"How come?" Sanji hissed, as we both forced to repel two cannon balls at the same time. "Well, its gotta be something like 'Lion'."

"All right! I just thought of an awesome name for it!" Luffy suggested, raising his hand. "The Bear! The Polar Bear Lion!"

"That's such a weird name!" Usopp rejected, smacking him.

"How about Tiger Wolf Lion!"

"Stop that animal enumeration!" Usopp snapped, smacking him yet again. "It's like some sort of curse!"

"Squid Octopus Chimpanzee!"

"WHAT HAPPENED TO "LION"?"

"Well, Lion is a good name for a ship," Franky agreed. "But I have a suggestion of my own too… Well, Iceberg suggested this one to me. What about Thousand Sunny?"

_'Thousand Sunny…. I like it_,' I smirked.

"WOW!" Luffy gasped. "It sounds much better than the one I was about to propose Dumpling Gorilla Lion!"

"It's better than my 'Lionel the Boss'," Zoro admitted.

"Better than my 'The Darkness'," Robin agreed.

"Better than my 'Monsieur Sunflower'," Sanji said.

"ARE YOU ALL NUTS!" Usopp snapped.

"A ship that crosses thousands of seas… Sounds wonderful," Robin said.

"Wait, guys! That was just for a starter! This name I thought up is your best bet!" Franky started to say. "Lo and behold! The name of the ship is Lion Gang Champion!"

"Let's go with Uncle Ice's idea! I love it!" Luffy called.

"Thousand Sunny is a good name," Sanji said.

"Agreed!"

"Now that we have a fitting name, the tension to sail off is rising!"

"Hey, Franky! Hurry up and let's get outta here with your secret weapon!" Sanji snapped.

"Yeah, hurry up. We took in the sails and the warships are on their way here," Zoro agreed.

"All right, shut up!" Franky snapped. "Take a good look at this beautiful water city while you can. You'll lose sight of it in a blink."

"Really? Then…" Luffy turned to his Grandpa's ship. "GRANDPA! COBY! AND… I'M GLAD I COULD SEE YOU AGAIN!"

"SPEAK MY NAME TOO!"

"What's the matter Luffy!" Garp demanded, lobbing another cannonball at us. "I still have some left to fire!"

Luffy knocked it to the side easily. "No use! We'll be running away seriously now! Until we meet again!"

_'HOW THE HELL DOES ONE "RUN AWAY SERIOUSLY"?'_

"IMPERTINENT PUNK, YOU'RE THE SON OF MY CHILD, LUFFY!" Garp snapped angrily.

"UNCLE ICE! WE TOOK YOUR SUGGESTION! THANKS FOR THE GREAT NAME! GUYS, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! WE'LL GET GOING NOW!"

"RUUUN LUFFY!" Coby yelled from Garp's ship. "YOU'LL BE KILLED!"

"Here we go!" Franky yelled from below the deck. "An amazing emergency acceleration device! Made possible with a giant blank shot and treasure tree Adam's strength!"

_'HOW THE FUCK DID THAT FIT ON THE SHIP!_' I howled when Garp brought out a massive cannonball that was attached to a chain.

"DON'T THINK ME A FOOL!" Garp yelled, sending the giant ball our way. "OR YOU'LL HURT YOURSELF!"

"FRANKY! START!" Luffy ordered.

"WAAAH! ULTRA GIGANTIC IRON BALL! WE'RE DOOMED!"

"COUP DE BURST!"

A blast of air came out of the back of Sunny, sending us flying into the sky easily, dodging the giant ball.

"I've consumed three cola barrels, but we can fly 1 kilometre with this!" Franky yelled, coming back out onto the deck. "Whatever your Going Merry did, this ship can do everything! This ship surpasses it on every point! This Thousand Sunny will inherit that ship's brave spirit! Count on me for your ship and weapon needs from this day on your ship!"

_'Welcome aboard, you pain in the ass_,' I smirked as everyone cheered.

* * *

><p>It had been a few days since we had acquired Thousand Sunny, and everyone was loving it. The ship was beyond magnificent. It had almost everything we needed – even a library. Most of the rooms needed to be accessed by ladders though, so it took a bit of getting used to on my part because I had to learn how to climb a ladder in my dog body. It didn't stop me for long though. My favourite features of the new ship were the grass on the main deck, because it was very comfortable to sleep on, and also the gym room and lookout, which had a great view for keeping watch.<p>

The sun was warming the white fur on my stomach as I laid on my back on the grass, my legs sticking lazily up in the air. There was nothing better than having a few minutes to myself to just be able to relax. The rest of the crew were spread around the ship, doing whatever it was they felt like.

"You look more a little bit comfortable there," a familiar voice said, and my eyes snapped up, seeing an upside down Ikol sitting on the ship's railing near me. It took me a few seconds to realize I was seeing him upside down because I was on my back, and I thought for a second I must still be dreaming.

_'Not a dream, a nightmare_,' I snorted to myself, closing my eyes again. _'He's not really there._'

"…Oi! Don't ignore me, bitch," the voice snapped, and within a split second I had rolled over, launched myself back up to my feet, my eyes snapping furiously open.

_'I'M GOING TO FUCKING STRING YOU UP FROM AN ELECTRIC FENCE BY YOUR BALLS!_' I snapped, peeling back my teeth and snarling viciously at him.

"Ah, lovely to see you too," Ikol chirped, tilting his head to the side as he smiled.

Suddenly what Luffy had ordered me to last time we had drama with Ikol flashed through my mind. I was meant to tell them if he came back. A smirk played across my lips as I took a deep breath and started barking loudly, announcing to everyone that something was amiss.

"Go ahead and call your friends, I don't mind. I sorta wanted to talk to you all anyway," Ikol laughed, kicking his legs idly as he sat, still perched on the railing.

A door smashed open and I cut off my barking as Franky stumbled onto the deck, confused. "What's all the noise about?" His eyes then landed on Ikol. "Oi, who hell are you?"

"Ah, I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting yet, Franky," Ikol replied, lifting up one hand to wave lazily at the cyborg.

"What…" Franky mumbled, jumping over the railing so that he was on the main deck with Ikol and I. Before either of them could say anything else, another door burst open, and out come Sanji.

"Mamori, my princess! What's wrong! I heard you–" Whatever he was about to say was just cut off when his eyes landed on Ikol. He froze, his eye narrowing as Ikol raised his hand again and waved. "You…"

"It's him…" Nami gasped as Robin, Chopper and her followed Sanji out, standing by the railing. Sanji jumped down onto the lower deck with Franky and I.

Another door opened, and footsteps echoed as Luffy, Usopp and Zoro ran across the upper deck, running down the stairs and skidding to a stop on the grass.

"I-Is that…" Usopp stuttered, going slightly pale.

"IT'S YOU, YOU BASTARD!" Luffy yelled, his nostrils flaring.

"What do you want?" Zoro demanded, placing his hands on his swords.

"We won't let you touch Mamori," Sanji hissed, stepping protectively in front of me. Part of me was flattered that he wanted to protect me, the other part was annoyed that he thought I needed protecting.

"Wait, wait, wait," Ikol laughed, holding up his hands in the air. "I'm not here to hurt her or anything. Relax."

_'Oh yeah? That'd make a change, wouldn't it?_' I snorted, stepping around Sanji so that I could stand next to him rather than behind him. _'What'cha want then?'_

"Wait, you guys know him?" Franky questioned, confused at our reactions to him.

"Yeah, he tried to kill Mamori before, and he also the one told us that she was human," Chopper explained, gripping the railings next to Robin and Nami.

"…SHE'S HUMAN? WHAT?" Franky yelled, his eyes popping out of his head as he stared at me.

_'Ah… No one told him, did they?_' I sweat-dropped.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Ikol said, slipping off the railing and landing on his feet. Everyone seemed to tense in reaction to his movements.

"Why should we listen to you!" Luffy snapped, his fist clenched and ready to hit Ikol at any second.

"Just listen to me, yeah?" Ikol requested, running one of his hands through his hair with a sigh. "I know you don't really like me all that much, and I get that, but I'm here to do something good for you… Well, for the dog anyway."

_'Your idea of helping isn't always the same as mine,_' I growled under my breath, but I couldn't deny that he had helped me in the past. The knife… The rose… He had only tried to kill me once, but he had helped me more than that…

"You tried to kill her back at Mock Town," Zoro accused, his hands still hovering above his swords.

"Oh come one, that was one time!" Ikol exclaimed in an exasperated manner. "If I made a habit of attempting to kill her then you could get worried, but it was only that once. Look, you all remember how I told you she was human, right? How would you like to see her as a human?"

* * *

><p><strong>Genkotsu Meteor:<strong> Literally "Fist Meteorite". Also known as "Meteor Fist" in the FUNimation dub.

* * *

><p><strong>I'll leave my notes down the bottom this time, so I don't spoil this chapter. <strong>

**Why did she get such a low bounty? Because my beta and I discussed it and realised that Oda had a running joke of giving low bounties to animals. Bepo and Chopper are prime examples of this. I decided to keep the theme going with Mamori. Talking about Oda, I hope he gets better soon. We're having a two week break from the manga while he is in hospital with his tonsils. Poor Oda. And talking about Bepo, I've actually decided to make a cosplay for him! I think it'd be awesome. Although I haven't actually made my own cosplay before... Do any of you know how to make a large bear head for the cosplay? If you do, and you could give me some advice, I'd be forever in your debt. **

**Also please don't kill me for the cliff hanger. I know some of you have been looking forward to something like this happening right from when I posted the first chapter. I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can. **

**Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! (:**

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><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


	59. Human again?

**Sorry for taking a while to get this chapter out. I've actually managed to get a job since the last chapter. At a Sushi and Japanese bar. Which will mean that the next chapter may take more than a while to get out. Sorry in advance. **

**Also, I've slipped a Harry Potter reference into this chapter. I wonder how many of you will get it. **

* * *

><p>"You have the power to turn her from a dog to a human?" Robin asked.<p>

"Darling, for you, I could do anything," he chirped, winking in Robin and Nami's direction.

'_Back the fuck off_,' I snarled, flashing my teeth at him. '_But… Could you really turn me back to human? I'm not even sure I want to be human anymore…_'

"Ehhh! Why?" Chopper gaped at me.

"What did she say?" Nami questioned.

"She… She said–" Chopper started to reply.

"She said that she's not even sure she wants to be human anymore," Ikol laughed. "Ah, this is too funny. Why's that, pup?"

'_I just… I don't know. I don't actually have that much of a problem being a dog. I'm so used to it now. I'm not sure how I'd go being a human again._' I shrugged my shoulders. It was true. After coming to this world as a dog, and learning to fight in this body, I'd probably stand no chance as a human. I'd have to learn to fight all over again… And I'd have to learn how to interact with the crew all over again. '_And plus, I don't trust you enough to let you do anything else to me._'

"You don't trust me?" he gasped, clutching his hand to his chest. "I'm heartbroken, pup. Truly, I am."

"You understand what she's saying," Robin pointed out all of a sudden, and everyone looked at her. She had a serious look in her eyes. "Just who are you?"

"I'm anyone you want me to be, darling," he laughed. "If you mean my name though, I'm just Ikol."

"…Am I the only one who is really confused here?" Franky asked. "You're telling me that the dog is really human, and that this guy, who has tried to kill her before, can turn her back into a human?"

"Couldn't have summed it up better myself," Ikol said as he turned his eyes to me and took a step forward.

"Don't move," Zoro warned, drawing two of his swords.

"You don't w-want to m-mess with us," Usopp stuttered, pulling out his Ginga Pachinko and loading it with a bullet of some sort.

"I don't care what you say, or what you're claiming, I won't let you touch my princess. If she wants the curse broken, I'll do it myself. There's no need for you," Sanji declared.

"If I wanted your permission, I would have asked for it," Ikol snorted, walking straight towards them and myself. A dangerous and challenging look overcame his eyes as he said that. "You couldn't stop me if you tried."

"I won't let you touch Mamori!" Luffy snapped, pulling back his fist. "Gum Gum…"

"Freeze," Ikol ordered and the wind seemed to pick up for a slight second. Then everything went still. It was as if my consciousness had been disconnect from my body, even though I could still see through my eyes. I couldn't feel anything. I was numb.

"Wha-What the hell!" Luffy yelled, angry. "I can't move my body!"

"Me either," Sanji hissed.

"What did you do?" Zoro demanded of Ikol. Several complaints and curses rose up from the other members of the crew, everyone finding themselves frozen in place.

"I would try explaining to you, but that'd take too long."

"Is this a devil fruit power?" Robin asked calmly as Ikol walked across the deck towards me.

"Maybe, maybe not," he replied. Simple and short. "Now, Mamori…"

"Stay away from her!" Luffy ordered.

"Mamori, can you move?" Nami called.

'_Sorry. I'm as stuck as the rest of you_,' I snarled under my breath, staring Ikol dead in the eyes as he approached me.

"She said '_Sorry. I'm as stuck as the rest of you_'," Chopper translated.

"You all need to relax for a second," Ikol smirked as he stood before me. "I've already told you that I won't hurt her."

"I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!" Luffy raged.

"Yeah, yeah, so you keep saying," he snorted in reply, reaching his hand down towards my head.

'_I hate you_,' I snarled. And I meant it. Where I went, he followed, causing trouble for myself and my crew mates. I hated it. I didn't want to cause them trouble. I didn't want to put them in dangerous situations like this. Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

"This may feel weird," he said, as his hand made contact with the top of my head, pressing down the fur there.

'_Go fuck yourself._' I glared at him.

"Leave her alone!"

"What are you doing!"

"Mamori!"

_**POP**_

One second I was glaring up at him, and then next thing I knew my vision went black for a split second. When it came back, I was staring at Ikol's chest. Everything felt weird all of a sudden. I felt like I was slammed back into another body. A weird body. One that felt heavy and lanky. Awkward. Cold. I didn't like it.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Ikol laughed, taking a step back. His hands fell back into his pockets and he rocked back on his heels, grinning like a madman.

Awkward and drawn-out silence echoed over the deck. I saw looks of shocks on my crew mates' faces. I blinked awkwardly, feeling like I'd just had a bucket of cold water dumped over my head. The shock took a few seconds to start clearing.

A soft wind brushed past me, causing my whole body to shiver. It was cold. So cold. I looked down at myself and saw skin. Skin, skin and nothing but skin. Oh. That was why it was so cold.

…

Wait.

The first sound that left my mouth as a human was a scream. A loud scream. A scream of bloody murder as I threw my arms around my naked body, crouching down to cover as much of myself as I could. My arms wrapped around my chest and I tucked my head down, yelling, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, IKOL, YOU UTTER BASTARD! I'M GOING FLAY YOU ALIVE AND TURN YOUR SKIN INTO A RUG."

A loud bang echoed as Sanji hit the deck, a fountain of blood spurting from both of his nostrils. "P-p-princess!" he muttered in his state of shock.

Usopp was on his hands and knees, trying to stop the flow of his nose as well.

"Nice!" Franky complimented, causing me look up, my face on fire. He had blood running down his face while giving me the thumbs-up sign.

Bless Nami, whose foot connected with the back of Franky's head. "IDIOT!"

"PISTOL!" Luffy yelled, and his fist went flying through the air where Ikol was. Of course Ikol disappeared, causing Luffy's fist to miss and snap back into his shoulder.

"H-Here!" Zoro snapped, throwing his shirt on top of my head. I stared at him dumbly for a second, noticing that he refused to look in my direction, his own face as red as mine. "Just put it on!"

Ikol's laughter echoed over the boat as I jolted into action, quickly slipping the top over the top my head and trying to stand back up so I could pull it all the way down. I pushed up, and my whole body swayed, not being used to being back on two legs. Going from two legs to four was easier than going from four to two.

Zoro caught me by the elbow, holding me up as I regained my balance, refusing to meet my eyes. I wanted to die. Never had I been so embarrassed in my whole life. Everyone just saw me naked. As if being a dog wasn't bad enough.

"Mamori, is that… you?" Chopper asked cautiously as Zoro let go of my arm.

"I… I…." I had no idea what to say or do in this situation.

"Are you okay?" Luffy asked, still glaring down Ikol.

"Oh, Odin help me, this is way too funny!" Ikol continued to laughed, and everyone looked up to the front deck of the boat where Ikol was standing on the railing. "Sorry kid, I couldn't resist. Haha. Next time I can make it so that you show up with clothes, haha."

"Next time?" Robin asked.

"I've just done a minor tweak. She will transform every time she sneezes. It's more fun that way," Ikol replied.

"YOU…! YOU!" I raged, taking a step towards him, anger flooding my systems. I didn't get time before the world seemed to shift beneath my feet, black clawing its way into the side of my vision.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, seeing as it's been such a long time since you've transformed, it'll take a lot of your energy. You'll probably pass out right about…" Ikol dawdled. Was that the deck flying towards my face? Odd. "Now."

I didn't feel myself hitting the grass. I was already dead to the world.

* * *

><p>I came back to my senses slowly, everything in my mind seeming murky. I was aware that I was awake, but it took me a few minutes to get my mind up and running again. And when it did, I wished I had stayed asleep.<p>

'_Did I really show up naked?_' I groaned to myself, wriggling my fingers to make sure that they hadn't turned back into paws. Nope, still there.

I cracked open my eyes, blinking a few times to clear my vision before turning my head to the side. There was Chopper, slumped over asleep in his doctor's chair. What a cutie.

Pushing the blankets off myself, I heaved my body up into a sitting position, my movements lanky and awkward. My old body felt weird… I liked it better as a dog, as weird as it sounded.

Using my hands, I felt all over my body, making sure that I was all still in one piece. I gave my breasts a squeeze, frowning as I did so. I sure as hell didn't miss these. I forgot how heavy and annoying they were. The weight on my chest was making it hard for me to breathe. Oh well, at least everything felt the same as it used to… Well, other than the fact I was still wearing Zoro's top. How awkward. I didn't even have clothes to change into.

I swung my feet over the side of the bed, carefully pushing myself up. I swayed for a second, trying to get my balance back. Somehow the front of my body leant forward, like so I was so used to it doing, and my feet slipped out from under me, causing me to go head first into the floor. With a bang, my forehead connected with the wooden surface.

"Fuck!" I swore, and Chopper jolted awake in a panic.

"Ah!" he yelled, trying to jump up on his chair. The wheels slipped under him, throwing him the ground just like me with a bang, leaving us both lying on the floor. Silence echoed.

"Fancy seeing you here, Chopper," I giggled, not being able to help myself.

"Mamori!" he jumped back up to his feet in a rush, hurrying over to me. "Are you okay? You shouldn't be out of bed yet!"

"I'm fine," I reassured him, pushing myself up into a sitting position. "I didn't mean to scare you, I'm sorry."

"Y-You didn't scare me, i-idiot!" he stuttered. "You've been asleep for two days though, we were starting to get worried!"

"Two days?" I gaped. "What happened when I passed out? What did Ikol do? Is everyone okay?"

"He disappeared after you fainted. We couldn't find him anywhere…" Chopper replied. "You should really rest some more–"

"From the sounds of it, I've done enough resting, Chopper." I pushed myself back to my feet, ignoring Chopper's sound of protest. "I'm sorry for worrying you and the others. And I'm really sorry for causing so much trouble…"

"You didn't… That's–"

"It's okay," I cut him off before he could say anything else. "Are we still sailing?"

"Y-Yes!" he replied, running over to his bench and grabbing a pile of clothing. "Nami brought these over for you for when you woke up."

I gently took them, thanking him. I placed them on the bed, unfolding them cautiously to see what Nami had given me. I knew about her love of shopping. It scared me to think of what she'd picked out.

There was a pair of panties that were white and covered in paw prints, but no bra. Probably because I didn't have the same cup size as Nami or Robin. There was also a white pair of shorts and a grey t-shirt with a dog paw-print on it. I twitched. Funny. Real funny.

I guess I should just be thankful that I had other clothes to put on. I quickly slipped into them, while Chopper fiddled with something over at his desk. I folded up Zoro's shirt as Chopper came over to me with a glass full of liquid.

"Drink this," he said, handing me the cup.

"Cheers," I said and downed it in one quick go, trying to not pay any attention to the taste. I coughed and tried not to gag as I handed the cup back to Chopper. "The hell was that?"

"It was to help you get your energy levels back. You've been sleeping for a while. You should probably have something eat. I'll go and ask Sanji fo–" Chopper started to ramble.

"Can I go to the kitchen? It's easier." I begged him.

"But–"

"Please." I tried using my puppy eyes. Not that they worked that well in my human form. "I'm fine, I promise you. I've been asleep for two days. I really need to stretch and get moving again. Please, Doctor Chopper. It's only next door. Pretty please!"

"O-Okay! But I'm coming with you!" he said.

"Awesome, let's go!" I chirped, and padded over to the door that led directly to the kitchen. The air around me seemed cold against my skin. My sight, smell and hearing were dull and subdued without my doggy sense. I slipped in quietly into the kitchen, Chopper following close at my heels.

Sanji was standing at the stove, cooking something, and didn't notice us walking in.

"Sanji, can you cook something for Mamori? She's finally awake–" Chopper started to say.

"She's awake!" Sanji spun around excitedly, only to freeze when his eyes landed on me. Remembering what had happened last time he'd seen me, my face went bright red and I fidgeted nervously with the edge of my shirt. "Mamori! My princess!" He spun across the room, hearts in his eyes. "I'm so glad to see that you are okay! I was so worried! I'll cook anything you like! I'll cook it with all my love!"

Sanji lunged towards me, arms open to give me a hug. A pathetic squeak left my mouth, stepping to the side as Sanji slammed face first into the wall instead. "Hands off!"

"Can you make her something to help restore her energy?" Chopper asked, ignoring Sanji's attempt to hug me.

"Of course!" He jumped back up and brushed it off like nothing had happened. "This way, Mamori!"

Before I could even get another word in, I found myself whisked off and seated at the table. I blinked owlishly as Sanji zipped back into the kitchen, diving into his cooking with a new fervor, hearts swirling around him.

"I'm going to go tell the others that she's awake. Can you look after Mamori for me?" Chopper requested.

"I don't need to be babysat," I protested, placing my elbow on the table and dropping my chin into my palm.

"I'll protect her with my life!" Sanji declared as Chopper trotted out.

"Hmph."

"Are you feeling okay?" Sanji cooed, dancing around the kitchen. "You slept for a while. We were all worried about you."

"I am feeling great, thank you for asking," I replied politely and awkwardly. How was I meant to act in this situation? "Chopper said that Ikol disappeared after I passed out…"

"He did," Sanji frowned. "But you don't need to worry about him! I'll protect you!"

"I'm just glad he didn't manage to hurt any of you guys. He's very unpredictable most of the time…" I sighed. "I'm so, so sorry for causing so much trouble. No matter what I do, Ikol always seems to show up and put you guys in danger as well. I don't want that. I just to help and protect you guys. I don't want to make more work for you."

Sanji paused his dancing around and leant against the bench, staring at me. "Mamori, don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm sure we all agree. I don't know the full story, but I know you well enough to know it's not your fault. No one here blames you for anything. We want to protect you as well. That's all we're worried about. If there is anything we can do to help you, you just have to let us know and we will."

"I…I…" I stuttered, feeling wetness at the corner of my eyes. Was I crying? I forgot that human bodies cried so easily. I was so used to letting my emotions run all over the place when I was dog, not having to worry about the way my body reacted. I rubbed my eyes, brushing the tears away. "Thank you, Sanji."

He smiled at me as he turned back around, flicking a few things neatly onto a plate before spinning over to me, back to his old self. The plate was placed on the table before. "For my princess," he said, before spinning back into the kitchen to do the dishes.

I stared at the large amount of food on my plate. There was no way I could eat all of this. "Thanks," I said. "It looks great."

I started to nibble on the food as the door to the kitchen opened, and Robin strolled in, a book under her arm. "Chopper said you were awake. I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Miss Dog."

"Thank you, Robin," I replied, making sure to swallow first.

"Robin~" Sanji cooed. "Would you like something to eat as well?"

"No thank you," she replied as she took a seat across from me. "But a cup of tea would be lovely."

"Coming right up!" Sanji chirped, swinging into action.

"Miss Dog, what do you know about Ikol?" Robin asked me bluntly, a serious look on her face.

"Not a whole lot," I frowned. "I just know he's to blame for everything. And that he is insanely powerful."

"Do you know something about him, Robin?" Sanji questioned her, putting some water on to boil.

"I think I know who he is. Although it doesn't make much sense…" she muttered.

"You do?" I asked, surprised. Robin just pushed a book across the table to me, and I read the cover. "Encyclopedia of Gods and Mythology," I read out loud. I could feel the blood draining from my face.

"Turn to page 394," Robin requested, and I did as she said.

"The Trickster, L…" I swallowed dryly, everything seeming to hit me at once. "Loki. Ikol. Ikol is just Loki backwards. No…"

"A god? Surely he's not really a god," Sanji protested. "Gods don't exist. Just like Enel."

"Maybe he's only pretending to be the god Loki. Maybe he's just a strong person with a Devil fruit. I don't know. But it all leads back to the fact he is claiming to be a trickster god," she explained as Sanji placed the pot of tea down for her.

"Loki… I know of Loki," I laughed bitterly. "A malicious god who liked playing tricks on the gods and on people. Wherever he went, trouble followed. He was renowned for his skills of being able to change shape and gender. And getting knocked up by a stallion just so he didn't lose a bet, and then giving birth to an 8 legged horse that he gave to Odin. But… Gods aren't real."

"So most people believe. But there have been lots of mentions of gods in the past," Robin explained. "It's probably nothing though."

"No… I just… Thank you, Robin," I mumbled. "But the others…? I don't think they need to worry about that. It's probably just coincidence, no need to worry or stress them. Right…?"

"You're probably right," Robin agreed as I closed the book at pushed it back towards her.

"MAMORI!" I jumped as the door banged open, and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all tumbled in, sprawling on the floor.

"Hey," I smiled softly at them, taking my mind off the whole Loki issue. There was no way he was a real god.

"Are you feeling better now?" Nami asked, stepping over them so she could walk in the room.

"I feel fine, thank you," I replied. "And thank you for the clothes as well. Much appreciated."

Luffy jumped up and scrambled over to me, sparkles in his eyes. "You really are human too! And a dog! Without a devil fruit! That is so cool!"

"Can you transform into anything else?" Usopp joined in the questioning, excited.

"This is what I really look like I guess. As a human anyway. I was born this way. Ikol said I'd transform back if I sneezed… I guess we'll see. And no, as far as I know, I cannot transform into anything else," I laughed. "Although, it would be awesome to be able to transform into a dinosaur or something else kickass like that."

"Or a robot," Usopp chipped in.

"With lasers," Luffy added.

"Isn't that what Franky is for?" I smirked.

Usopp and Luffy both squatted down, poking my sides.

"Hmm, this body feels real," Usopp declared. "You never know if you don't try. Sneeze!"

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY PRINCESS!" Sanji yelled, kicking them both.

I opened my mouth to start laughing, but as Luffy crashed to the ground, his hand shot out and slapped my plate, sending it flying into my face. I got face full of hot food as I tumbled out of my chair, landing in a pile on the ground with Usopp and Luffy.

"Ah…Ah…CHO." I sneezed, and there I was a dog again.

"Oops."

"Oh, no lasers…"

* * *

><p>"Ha, what a nice bath!" Nami sighed happily, using a towel to dry off my fur. I grumbled my agreement. Things seemed even more normal between myself, Nami and Robin now that they'd seen me transform into a human at least once. "A huge bath tub rocked by waves is the best!"<p>

"Hey! Something is floating the water!" Zoro's loud voice called, drawing Nami and my attention.

"I wonder what's going on. We should probably go see," she said, and I nodded my head.

By the time we made it down onto the main deck, the barrel had already been pulled up and everyone was standing around, trying to figure out what it was.

"Could it be something dropped by a treasure ship?" Luffy asked.

"Treasure!" Usopp and Chopper called out.

"Doesn't look like it. Probably alcohol or reserves," Nami argued.

'_Or_ body_ parts_,' I commented casually, remember one of the biggest serial murder cases in Australia. The Snow Town murders, where lots of people were dismembered and stored in barrels.

"EH!?" Chopper gaped at me.

'_I'm kidding, I'm kidding_,' I soothed him.

"How can we tell without looking!" Luffy objected.

"It says "Seas God Hozen" on it, right?" Nami asked. "That is a floating barrel for someone who was praying for safe passage. So they made an offering to the guardian deities of the sea. "Hozen" mean "to the gods"."

"What the… Then picking it up was useless."

"Hey, it's probably alcohol. Let's drink it," Zoro said.

"Idiot! You'll be cursed!" Usopp snapped at him, getting in Zoro's face.

"It's all right is we pray before we drink it, right?" Nami said.

"I don't pray to gods," Zoro replied.

'_I'm sick of gods,_' I snorted.

"But alcohol massaged by waves is especially delicious," Nami said.

"We should taste it!" Franky declared. "Alright everyone, a toast!"

"We'll still have an empty barrel once we've drunk it," Robin pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. "Putting in a new offering and send it off is also a customary thing to do."

"Open it up already!" Franky ordered.

"Hey god, gimme some snacks!" Luffy prayed.

'_Hey Gods, kindly fuck off_,' I joined in the praying, perching on my hinds and holding my paws in a praying position.

"A certain someone sent "God" flying off back in Skypeia," Zoro pointed out.

"Great, it opened!" Luffy said, popping the lid off of the barrel. And as soon as it came loose, something went flying out and up into the air, throwing Luffy back on his arse.

"Something went flying!" Usopp yelled.

A bright red light exploded up over our heads, filling the sky with an unbearable brightness. I use my paw to shield my eye until it cleared.

"What's that?" Luffy gasped.

"What's going on?" Nami yelled.

"A flare," Robin answered, not bothered in the slightest.

"Hahaha, a curse of the sea Gods?" Zoro asked, laughing.

"No problem if it's just a prank, but perhaps… Someone may now be targeting the ship," Robin theorized.

"Could it be… Is it some kind of trap? Triggered by opening the barrel!" Nami gasped.

'_Fantastic_,' I sighed.

"We just alerted someone to our presence here?" Usopp panicked.

"Can you see anyone anywhere?" Chopper called, jumping on the rails with a pair of binoculars.

"I can't see anyone… but…" Nami paused for a second bolted up to the back deck, yelling, "Everyone to your posts! We're fleeing South-South-East! A raging storm is on its way! In five minutes!"

My nose twitched as I lifted it up to the air. She was right. I could smell it. The wind was picking up too.

"I can't see it, but if she say it's coming, it's coming fast!" Everyone jumped into action.

"The course, Nami?" Luffy called.

"Bear to two o'clock!" she ordered.

Everyone quickly got to their jobs as a dark shading of clouds drift over the sky, casting a dark light onto the ship. I ran up to the front of the ship, jumping on the figurehead to watch what was going on, and to make sure nothing snuck up on us. At the same time the wind started blowing a gale, the rain came pouring down, soaking everyone that was on the deck within seconds. I squinted, trying to keep my vision through the darkness. The ship rocked the side as a large wave washed over the railing, and I heard Luffy and Chopper tumbling across the deck. They'd better be careful, because I was in no mood to go fetch them from the water in this weather.

"No good! It's a head wind!" Nami called over the sound of the wind.

"You think that's all this ship can do?" Franky challenged.

"That's right! Everyone, take up the sails! The paddles are coming out!" Nami ordered.

"That!" Usopp called out, clinging to a railing to stop himself from being blow away.

"I like the paddles! They're so cool! Do it!" Luffy cheered.

'_Just hurry up with it so that we don't get blown away before then!'_ I called, digging my claws into the wood.

The sails were quickly raised and tied them down as Franky ran up the top deck with me, taking the wheel.

"Is everything ready?" Nami asked.

"The main is okay, Nami!" Sanji replied.

"The sails have been raised to the mast," Zoro joined in.

"Franky, go ahead!" our navigator then yelled across the deck.

"Okay!" he yelled back. "Solider dock System! Channel Zero!"

I glanced back as the sides of the ship opened, bringing out a round paddle on either side of the ship.

"Coal Engine! Paddle Ship!" Nami called. "Sunny!"

"CHARGE!" Luffy yelled as the ship jolted forward and started to speed through the waves.

* * *

><p>"Ha… We made it…" Nami panted as we gathered on the lower deck, the storm finally calmer now.<p>

"That's good, but what's with this sea?" Zoro asked, drawing attention to the dark, foggy and dreary sea that we were now in. "It shouldn't be night yet. The fog is so thick, it's eerily dark."

"Could it be… We've entered that part of the ocean already? My heart's not ready yet!" Nami whispered dramatically.

"Oh, we've already arrived at Fishman Island?" Usopp laughed.

"No, before that is the ocean where the monsters appear," Luffy murmured in a creepy manner, his eyes shaded.

"That's right," Franky agreed, his voice also dramatic. "Don't let your guard down. This is definitely the famous ocean, the Florian Triangle! The strange sea where everything mysteriously disappears!"

"E-e-e-ehhh! Ghost!?" Usopp stuttered, a panicked look flashing across his face.

I snickered under my breath. '_Oh here we go_.'

"Shishishi, yeah, ghosts show up in this ocean," Luffy confirmed.

"You're lying!" Usopp snapped, point an accusing finger at us all. "If everyone else knows what this is, why don't I?"

I blinked and looked to the side as Chopper wedged himself between Zoro and myself, clinging to Zoro's leg as he shook. '_Chopper, there's no such thing as ghosts._'

"Granny Kokoro told us," Luffy explained. "There's even living skeletons."

"L-Living skeletons!?"

Sanji stuck a match on a box, lighting it. "That's just your imagination. Stop scaring him with it. Okay, Usopp. Every year in this ocean, many ship disappear without a trace." Sanji held the match under his face, using the shadows it cast to make everything scarier. "… They say there's ghost ships filled with dead that wander…"

"NO WAY!" Usopp screamed, clutching his head. "Tell me that kind of thing ahead of time!"

"What would that help?" asked Sanji.

"I-I-I COULD HAVE PREPARED SOME MORE! I NEED SOME EXORCISM THINGS!"

"Usopp, I need some too!" Chopper panicked, running over and attaching himself to Usopp's leg.

'_Ghosts aren't real, we're fine, Chopper,_' I giggled, shaking my head.

"Yo ho ho ho~" a singing voice drifted across the wind, causing everyone to stare around, dumbstruck.

_'…Or make me a liar. That works too…_'

"What's this voice?" Usopp asked.

"Yo ho ho ho~"

My ears twitched as the sound hit them. There was something with the tune that made me want sing along. My dog ears picked up the tone, and made me wanted to repeat it. My senses bypassed fear and went straight to curiosity as I jumped up onto the railings, staring around.

"Yo ho ho ho~"

I couldn't help but tilt back my head and join in with the tune, howling softly along.

"THERE IT IS!" Usopp screamed as a half destroyed ship came out of the mist, sailing towards us.

"Yo ho ho ho~ Yo ho ho ho~" I continued to howl along, picking up the sound.

"GHOST SHIP!" The rest of the crew, other than Robin, screamed in panic.

"Yo ho ho ho~ Yo ho ho ho~"

The music was relaxing. I didn't feel any of the fear that the crew did as the ship sailed next to us.

"Yo ho ho ho~ Yo ho ho ho~"

"WHAT IS THIS SONG?" Nami sobbed.

"IT'S THE EVIL SPIRIT'S SONG!" Usopp cried, covering his ears. "DON'T LISTEN TO IT. IT'S ALREADY GOT MAMORI!" Chopper screamed and covered his ears too. "IF THE GHOSTS TRIES TO TALK TO YOU, DON'T LET HIM. IF YOU DO, HE'LL DRAG YOU OUT TO SEA. EVIL SPIRITS ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE PEOPLE COME TO THEM."

"Yo ho ho ho~" How could those guys be so scared with such a calming song. It was probably just some human on a run-down ship. There was nothing to be scared of. Ghosts weren't real.

"Is there someone on this ship?" Robin asked.

"Ha, if it's an enemy, I'll cut them down," Zoro said, flicking one of swords part way open.

"There's something there," Sanji pointed out.

Slowly a figure came into view as the fog cleared around them; that figure being a skeleton with a cup of tea and an afro.

"Going to bring Bink's sake~" The skeleton casually took a sip of his tea as the ship sailed right past. "Yo ho ho ho~"

'_Ghosts are real. Oh_.' I blinked, not sure how to react.

"Did you see that just now?" Luffy gaped as the ship sailed on. "That skeleton was singing!"

"I-Idiot! Skeletons don't sing!" Usopp snapped. "It was a spirit! A spirit!"

"But you heard it right?" Luffy demanded, walking straight up to Sanji. He then spun around to Zoro. "Hey! Let's go! Let's go right now!" His eyes started to sparkle, and it was at that point that I knew we'd lost him. "There was a living skeleton after all! Right!"

"Wait! Wait!" Sanji yelled, grabbing the back of Luffy's shirt as he tried to charge off. "Don't rush, Luffy. A small group us will go."

"Who?"

Zoro held out a handful of stick in his hand. "Well, we'll decided who is going with Luffy to that ship by drawing sticks."

"EHH! Why!" Usopp sobbed. "He's fine with the guys who want to go!"

"That's right! Let them do it!" Nami agreed.

"Let them do it!" Chopper mimicked.

_'I… I actually wouldn't mind going_,' I mumbled, blinking. There was something about that song… I wasn't scared.

"Is that really okay?" Zoro asked and they looked over the railing were Sanji, Franky, Robin, Luffy and myself were standing, ready to go board the ship.

"Right! Let's go!" Luffy ordered, stretching.

Chopper, Usopp and Nami all sunk to their knees. "Not at all…"

They all clung onto Zoro's swords and got dragged along as he walked over to us with the sticks.

"Please exclude me from this!" Chopper begged.

"Zoro, I beg you!" Usopp cried. "Let's go inside Sunny until the come back!"

"Let's go! Let's go!" Nami agreed.

"You don't have to go, I'll be fine by myself," Luffy frowned at their reaction. If we don't hurry up the ship will leave."

"That's right. Then you won't be able to go," Sanji agreed.

"Anyway, pick one," Zoro said, holding out the sticks. "Two will go with him. To prevent Luffy from acting stupidly."

* * *

><p>The rest of us stood around the railing, watching as Sanji, Luffy and Nami climbed up the rope on the other ship. Nami was wailing and complaining the whole way, and I stared, blinking.<p>

When the skeleton looked down at them, Nami screamed loudly and Usopp slapped his hands together in prayer. "Evil spirits stay away! Evil spirits stay away! Luffy, rest in peace!"

'_THE SKELETON WON'T KILL HIM!_' I snapped.

Once they climbed over the railing of the ship, the rest of us were left to stare and wait for them to come back.

* * *

><p>"Yo ho ho ho!" the Skeleton laughed as he lifted his top hat off in greeting. "How do you do? I'm afraid that while traveling my ship ran into quite a bit of trouble! I am Just Dead Bones Brook! It's a pleasure to meet you!"<p>

"WHAT THE HELL! WHAT IS THIS GUY!" Chopper, Usopp, Franky, and Zoro all yelled as we stared down the skeleton that the others had brought back with them. Robin was the only one who didn't seem very troubled.

"Yo ho ho ho!" Brook laughed. "Oh my, oh my! How harsh!"

"Shihihi!" Luffy laughed. Nami and Sanji just sighed.

"It's a skeleton!" Chopper stuttered, holding up a cross in front of himself.

'_Chopper, I don't think he'll hurt you,'_ I sweatdropped.

"Oh, what a beautiful woman," Brook said, stepping over to Robin.

_'Oi,_' I grunted, narrowing my eyes.

"Would you allow me to see your panties?"

"STOP IT YOU PERVERTED SKELETON," Nami snapped, launching her shoe at his head.

Chopper gasped and I look back to see Usopp was decked out in exorcism gear; garlic, crosses, signs and more. "You've got all your exorcism stuff!"

"S-skeleton, y-you hurry up and g-get out of here!" Usopp stammered, slowly stepping towards Brook. "Evil spirits be gone!"

Brook took a few steps backwards.

"It's working!" Chopper gasped. "Usopp, you're so cool!"

"Of course it's working!" he laughed, showing off his gear to Chopper. "That's because I'm a fully equipped exorcist!"

"Evil spirit?" Brook questioned, glancing around everywhere. "Where? Where is it?"

"IT'S YOU!" Usopp and Chopper yelled, pointing at the skeleton.

"EHHH?" Brook cried.

"Skeletons can't talk, or walk, or have afros!" Usopp said. "This is a dream! It's got to be a dream!"

"Really?" Chopper gaped in relief before sighing. "Good… A dream…" He flopped back over onto the deck, closing his eyes.

"Hello?" Brook called, leaning over Chopper.

_'Hey,_' I warned, narrowing my eyes.

"Please wake up," Brook continued. "Good morning!"

"Hmm?" Chopper opening his eyes, staring up at Brook. He screamed.

"STOP THAT!" Zoro yelled.

'_Well, if that's how you wanna play it… You're a walking meal for me,_' I snorted, trotting over to Brook with my head held high.

"Oi! Luffy! What's with this guy!" Zoro demanded.

I snapped my jaws over Brook's leg, gnawing on the bones. Brook let out a loud shriek and tried to shake me off. "AHH! This dog just bit right down to my bones! Even though I'm only bones. Skull joke! Yohoho."

"Shihihihi!" Luffy continued laughing at everyone's antics. "Isn't he funny? He's part of our crew now!"

'_EH?_' I dropped Brook's leg, staring at Luffy.

"I DON'T CARE. I WON'T LET HIM BE!" Zoro snapped, turning to Nami and Sanji. "Why the hell did you guys go with him? Wasn't it to stop him from doing something like this?"

"Sorry…" they both muttered, clutching their heads.

"Yo ho ho ho!" Brook laughed. "It's nothing to get so worked up about. Let's go inside now! We can have dinner!"

"YOU CAN'T DECIDE THAT!" Sanji, Nami and Zoro all snapped.

"He's so funny!" Luffy continued to laugh.

I just shook my head.

* * *

><p><strong>So, a lot of you guys have wanted to see Mamori as a human since the start of the story. And others of you have been against it. In the end, I've decided to take the story this way. Uncontrollable transformations. So she'll be human sometimes, and a dog others. I hope this is okay with most of you guys. :) Let me know if you have any concernsquestions.**

**I would also like to make it clear that I am NOT basing Ikol/Loki off of the Marvel portrayal of him. Just so none of you get confused. **

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><p><strong>Beta read by praeses<strong>


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